TikTok CEO asks Instagram, Facebook to help fight US ban
A few hours ago, the US Department of Commerce issued an order to ban the downloads of TikTok and WeChat apps, and limit their functionality. Now, in response to the situation, Vanessa Pappas, the interim CEO of the ByteDance-owned video service, has publicly asked Instagram and Facebook to help them fight this ban. Here's all you need to know about it.
Under the latest order, the US government is banning fresh downloads and updates of TikTok and WeChat from September 20. However, for the video service, the Department of Commerce has clarified that if the 'national security' concerns are resolved by November 12 - through a potential sale of TikTok US, the restrictions imposed against the app might be lifted.
Following the order, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri tweeted out that a "US TikTok ban would be quite bad for Instagram, Facebook, and the internet more broadly." In response to this, Pappas replied, "We agree that this type of ban would be bad for the industry. We invite Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation."
The litigation is the one TikTok filed against Trump administration, alleging that the executive order that led to yesterday's ban violates due process protections and offers no evidence that TikTok presents a national security threat. In her message to Mosseri, Pappas emphasized that it's time "to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law."
We agree that this type of ban would be bad for the industry. We invite Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation. This is a moment to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law.
— Vanessa Pappas (@v_ness) September 18, 2020
Pappas's remarks come as ByteDance continues to try to get Trump administration's concerns resolved by getting an American company in the loop for the platform's US operations. The US government, as mentioned earlier, has demanded an outright sale of the operations and user data, but ByteDance is reportedly roping in Oracle as TikTok's technology partner, with a few other American companies taking minority stakes.
TikTok has said that it is looking to work with an American tech provider which would "be responsible for maintaining and operating the TikTok network in the US, which would include all services and data serving US consumers." The deal, however, remains to be approved.
