TikTok, the social media platform, is planning to take the Trump administration to court over President Donald Trump's Executive Order that would ban the mobile app in 45 days. The executive order against Tik Tok will likely force ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, to divest and sell its United States operations. As of now, Microsoft has been the leading contender vying for the acquisition of the app. Trump promised to ban the mobile app earlier this month after ByteDance attempted to maintain a minority stake in the company.
According to NPR, TikTok plans to file the lawsuit as early as Tuesday. The case will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California because it is where TikTok's operations are headquartered.
The bases for the lawsuit stems from TikTok's belief that President Trump's move to ban the app is unconstitutional. Specifically, the company believes the charges are unfounded and argue that the company had no time to respond before the Executive Order was issued.
"It's based on pure speculation and conjecture," a source told NPR. "The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around."
The lawsuit comes after the social media company's U.S. General Manager, Vanessa Pappas, said the company isn't going anywhere.
"When it comes to safety and security we're building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do," Pappas said in a video message to TikTok users. "So we appreciate the support and we're here for the long run and continue to share your voice here and let's stand for TikTok."
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