The Trump administration said Friday it has the authority to ban the use of TikTok in America, saying in a court filing that the popular Chinese app poses a threat to national security because of its relationship with the Chinese government.
Trump administration lawyers told the U.S. in Washington that the U.S. government should be able to impose restrictions on the app's use. The lawyers said the proposed restrictions are consistent with the president's authority to protect U.S..
“The President should not be prevented from regulating national security simply because a foreign adversary covers his activities within a media company,” government lawyers said in a 46-page petition.
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in August bars any U.S. with TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. According to Trump, TikTok collects user data and gives it to the Chinese government. The U.S. believes the company is linked to the Chinese government, which means the Chinese Communist Party could have access to personal information about American users. It could also allow China to track the whereabouts of federal employees and contractors. However, in September, a federal judge ruled in TikTok’s favor, temporarily giving it a small victory.
A separate order, issued on August 14, ordered ByteDance to sell its US operations by November 12.
According to CNET, the company behind TikTok insists it data user to the Chinese government and does not intend to do so even if asked. TikTok is also challenging the executive order, arguing that Trump did not follow due process and did not provide strong evidence that TikTok poses a real threat to national security.
