TikTok vows to challenge ‘unconstitutional’ law that could ban app from US

TikTok vowed Wednesday to challenge a law that could potentially ban the popular social media app in the U.S. 

“This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.” 

President Biden signed a law Wednesday requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a ban on U.S. devices and networks. 

The measure was part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package that provided long-sought additional funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.   

Although an earlier version of the legislation passed by the House ran into opposition in the Senate, the measure sailed through the upper chamber Tuesday as part of the foreign aid package. 

The bill was amended to extend the length of time ByteDance has to sell TikTok from roughly six months to up to a year, easing concerns of some critics, such as Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).    

Supporters have argued the legislation is necessary to mitigate national security and data privacy risks from the app, while critics, including TikTok, have contended that it raises free speech concerns.

“The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation,” the TikTok spokesperson said. “This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.

“As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired,” they added.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew described the bill’s passage Wednesday as a “disappointing moment” but emphasized that it “does not need to be a defining one.”

“Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere,” Chew said in a video posted to TikTok.

Updated at 3:32 p.m. EDT.