TikTok is reportedly planning to take President Trump to court over an executive order that bans the app in the United States.
Sources tell NPRthat TikTok plans to file the federal lawsuit on Tuesday. A person—who is involved in the pending lawsuit, but was not authorized to speak for the company—claims the paperwork will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California where TikTok's U.S. operations are located.
TikTok will reportedly argue that the executive ban is unconstitutional because it fails to give the company a chance to respond. Also, it will claim that the ban is pointless because Trump's national security justifications are "baseless."
"It's based on pure speculation and conjecture," the source said to NPR. "The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around."
On Thursday, the administration released an executive order outlawing "any transaction" between American citizens and TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. This order is set to go into effect in 45 days and will end TikTok's presence in the United States. More than 100 million users have downloaded TikTok. The app helps predict and create pop culture trends. TikTok has also been used to troll the President—including a time when teens on the app secured thousands of tickets on TikTok to Trump's rally in Oklahoma with no plans to attend the event. This led to a disappointing turnout for him at the Tulsa rally.
This ban could lead to TikTok's more than 1,000 U.S.-based employees having their pay frozen during this uncertain economic time. Also, people who willfully break the ban once the 45-day period expires could face a $300,000 fine as well as criminal punishment.
The White House declined to comment on the potential lawsuit, but spokesman Judd Deere defends Trump's decision.
"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," Deere said.
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