Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., the parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok, has decided to sue the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for banning its service in the United States, local media reported Sunday.
The lawsuit, which China Global Television Network says would be filed on Monday, comes as Trump has stepped up pressure on TikTok against the backdrop of concern that the platform is both a privacy risk and susceptible to Beijing's censorship activities.
On Aug. 6, Trump issued orders prohibiting any transactions in the United States with TikTok and popular Chinese messaging app WeChat, owned by Chinese IT giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., in 45 days.
Also on Aug. 14, Trump ordered ByteDance to divest its interest in the U.S. operations of TikTok within 90 days.
TikTok, which lets users upload short videos set to music, is a hit among young people and has grown popular as a way to pass the time amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese app is believed to have surpassed 2 billion downloads earlier this year.
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