What you need to know
- TikTok plans to sue the Trump administration.
- It will file a suit in response to the executive order announced by the Trump administration.
- The app is currently set to be effectively banned in the next 45 days.
TikTok may sue the Trump administration to try and save its business in the United States as soon as today, August 11.
Reported by NPR, the company plans to file a federal lawsuit as soon as Tuesday, according to a person directly involved in the suit but that was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. TikTok had announced that it would take legal action over the weekend after President Trump announced the executive order.
The source also said that the suit will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, where TikTok's headquarters in the United States are located. According to the source, TikTok will challenge the factual basis or the executive order.
"It's based on pure speculation and conjecture," the source said. "The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around."
White House spokesperson Judd Deere defended the executive order and reiterated the administration's belief that TikTok poses a cybersecurity threat.
The White House declined to comment on the expected litigation but defended the president's executive order. "The Administration is committed to protecting the American people from all cyber related threats to critical infrastructure, public health and safety, and our economic and national security," according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.
If the ban goes through the app could be removed from Apple and Google's app stores, a fatal blow to any smartphone app right now.
