TikTok Faces National Security Scrutiny Amid U.S. Appeals

A coalition of 21 U.S. states and over 50 lawmakers have backed the Justice Department's mandate requiring China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets by Jan. 19, or face a ban. The law aims to address national security concerns, sparking legal battles and significant debate as the 2024 election approaches.

A coalition of 21 states and over 50 U.S. lawmakers has thrown its support behind the Justice Department's defense of a law mandating that China-based ByteDance sell TikTok's U.S. assets by January 19 or face a ban. According to a court filing led by the attorneys general of Montana and Virginia, TikTok is described as a significant threat to both national security and consumer privacy.

The bipartisan group of more than 50 lawmakers, including U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the panel's top Democrat, stated the law provides a clear, achievable path for affected companies to mitigate the national security threats posed by their current ownership structures. TikTok and ByteDance, along with a group of TikTok creators, have filed lawsuits to block the law, which could potentially affect 170 million American users.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is set to hold oral arguments on this legal challenge on September 16, a date that places the issue squarely in the final weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Signatories of the congressional filing include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Republican Senators Marco Rubio, and Frank Pallone, top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, all of whom emphasized that the legislative action was driven by national security concerns rather than a punitive agenda against ByteDance.

TikTok has countered by arguing that the congressional ban was passed without substantiating the government's claims, stating that it infringes on the First Amendment rights of its 170 million American users. The Justice Department, however, has recently urged an appeals court to dismiss legal challenges to the statute, underscoring the seriousness of the national security threat posed by the app.

(With inputs from agencies.)