Popular video-sharing app TikTok has asked a US judge to block the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on the Chinese social media network, according to court documents filed late on Friday.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, filed a complaint in a Washington federal court challenging the recent prohibitory moves by the Trump administration.
The US Commerce Department announced a ban on Friday blocking people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and TikTok starting Sept. 20.
The ban was being introduced for political reasons, TikTok and ByteDance alleged in their complaint. TikTok also said the ban would violate the company’s First Amendment rights.
US President Donald Trump, who has been locked in a long-running trade dispute with China, issued an executive order on Aug. 6 that prohibited US transactions with the Chinese owners of messaging app WeChat and TikTok.
Both ByteDance and TikTok are seeking a “declaratory” judgment and an order “invalidating and preliminarily and permanently enjoining the Prohibitions and the August 6 order,” according to the complaint.
The White House did not immediately respond when Reuters contacted it for comment early on Saturday.
TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the United States, said the ban would “irreversibly destroy the TikTok business in the US.”
TikTok files complaint against Trump administration to try to block US ban
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TikTok files complaint against Trump administration to try to block US ban
- US bans Americans from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and TikTok starting Sept. 20
Spain seeks removal of ads for rentals in Israeli settlements
- The consumer affairs ministry identified 138 listings on platforms operating in Spain and notified the companies to “immediately remove or block” the content
MADRID: Spain’s leftist government has ordered seven online platforms to remove more than 100 listings for vacation rentals in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
The consumer affairs ministry said Tuesday it has identified 138 listings on platforms operating in Spain and notified the companies to “immediately remove or block” the content.
If they fail to comply, the platforms could face further government action, the statement said without specifying what the consequences would be.
The move is part of measures adopted by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government backing Palestinians and condemning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
A decree approved by lawmakers in October includes an arms embargo on Israel and a ban on the advertising of products “coming from illegal colonies in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy said the listings help “normalize and perpetuate a colonial regime considered illegal under international law.”
In October, France’s Human Rights League filed complaints against Airbnb and Booking.com accusing them of promoting “occupation tourism” by featuring properties in settlements.
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, while Israel views them as largely legal.
Spain recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 and has become one of the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, launched after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
