The Justice Department on Friday night asked a federal court to reject TikTok’s request to strike down the law that could ban it, citing national security concerns including its alleged use of internal search tools to gather information about users’ opinions on sensitive topics. It comes in response to an attempt to challenge the law that now requires its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or be banned in the U.S. in April.
In one of the documents filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Justice Department alleges that a search tool within Lark, the web-based system that company employees use to communicate, “allowed ByteDance and TikTok employees in the United States and China to collect bulk information about users based on their content or expressions, including their views on gun control, abortion, and religion.” The Justice Department also argues in the documents that TikTok could be used to subject U.S. users to content manipulation and that their sensitive information could end up stored on servers in China.
TikTok has repeatedly denied allegations that it is a threat to national security and has called efforts to ban it “unconstitutional.” In its latest statement in response to the Justice Department filing, published on x, x.com/TikTokPolicy/status/1817070296144150802″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:TikTok;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> He said: “Nothing in this writing changes the fact that the Constitution is on our side.”
