TikTok responds to the US "sell or ban" bill: will take the case to court!

US President Biden signed and passed the "ByteDance Divorce Tik Tok Act" on April 24.

Under the new bill, Tik Tok must be separated from ByteDance within 270 days, otherwise it will be removed from Apple and Google's US stores.

At that time, users in the United States will not be able to search, download, and update Tik Tok in the mobile app store. (Those who have already downloaded and installed it are not prohibited from using it)

Immediately after the bill was passed, Tik Tok CEO Zhou Shouzi responded and said that he would take legal action.

"We believe that the facts and the law are clearly on our side and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is that we have invested billions of dollars to ensure the information security of American users and to protect platforms from outside influence and manipulation. This ban will destroy 7 million businesses and silence 170 million Americans."

On April 25, ByteDance responded: Foreign media reports that ByteDance is exploring the sale of Tik Tok are false, and ByteDance has no plans to sell Tik Tok.

Previously, "foreign media" reported that ByteDance was discussing the sale of Tik Tok's US business and claimed that "Walmart may be the most ideal buyer."

On April 27, Tik Tok released a statement on its official website. Erich Anderson, the general counsel of Tik Tok and its parent company ByteDance in the United States, announced that he would step down in June. He will become the company's special legal counsel to help push the company to overturn the U.S. "Sell or Ban" legislation, as well as other pressing legal matters.

Some lawyers said that after the bill takes effect, Tik Tok can file a lawsuit with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit within 270 days to challenge the new bill based on the First Amendment.

Jaffer, executive director of the First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, believes that the forced separation of Tik Tok is unconstitutional, and even if the Biden administration uses the language of national security to package the bill, it will not be an exception.

After the incident, many Tik Tok creators spoke out and accused Tik Tok of the new bill.

"The first to be affected will be small businesses that have accumulated a customer base on Tik Tok. Artists, musicians, and other individual creators will also be affected."

“For example, I follow a disabled fashion model in a wheelchair who is working to promote fashion for people with disabilities,” said Daniel Egger. “Without Tik Tok, it would be difficult for people like her to be seen and to succeed in their advocacy work.”

A friend from a service provider shared that Tik Tok has driven the development of social e-commerce in the United States.

The success of e-commerce on social platforms will also attract platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to increase research and launch e-commerce sales functions.

Even if Tik Tok and Tik Tok e-commerce are banned after 2 years or more, the model and operating experience can still be copied to other platforms in parallel.

There's nothing to worry about.