TikTok confirms it will challenge Trump's executive order; issues statement

TikTok will file a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's executive order that prohibits transactions with the popular short video app and its Chinese parent ByteDance, confirming an earlier report.

It was reported a day before that TikTok may challenge Trump's executive order as early as Monday.

Now, TikTok has confirmed this, issuing a statement that says it had tried to engage with the US administration for nearly a year, but faced "a lack of due process" and that the government paid no attention to the facts.

"To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the executive order through the judicial system," the company spokesperson said.

While TikTok is best known for its anodyne videos of people dancing and going viral among teenagers, US officials have expressed concerns that information on users could be passed on to China's government.

Also read | TikTok may challenge US order banning transactions with its Chinese parent ByteDance

TikTok's legal challenge pertains to an executive order, which Trump issued on August 6. The said order directed the Secretary of Commerce to come up with a list of transactions involving ByteDance and its holdings that should be banned after 45 days.

The Trump administration has stepped up its efforts to purge what it deems "untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks. Beyond TikTok, Trump has also issued an order that would prohibit transactions with Tencent Holding Ltd's WeChat.

Trump also issued an executive order on August 14 that gave ByteDance 90 days to divest the US operations of TikTok. 

To this end, ByteDance has been making progress in talks with potential acquirers, including Microsoft Corp and Oracle. Some of ByteDance's US investors could also join the winning bid.