Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in urging the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to uphold a federal law mandating that TikTok be banned in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its stake in the platform.
The legislation, passed by Congress earlier this year, aims to address national security concerns by severing TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Following the ban, ByteDance and TikTok filed a lawsuit against the federal government.
Attorney General Marshall emphasized the potential risks associated with TikTok, stating, “Every click, location, and recording on TikTok is potentially accessible to the Chinese Communist Party. Congress took action to protect Americans from this intrusion, and we are urging the courts to uphold this vital national security law.”
The coalition’s brief argues that Congress has the authority to address issues of national security and foreign affairs, and that TikTok poses a significant threat to both. The brief highlights concerns that TikTok’s data collection practices allow the CCP to access sensitive information about American users, including public officials and journalists.
While TikTok claims that the ban infringes on its First Amendment rights, the attorneys general contend that the ban is justified as it does not target expressive behavior but rather addresses a critical security concern.
“Allowing TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. without cutting ties to the CCP exposes Americans to significant risks of data exploitation by a foreign adversary,” the brief states.
Attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah also signed onto the brief, which was led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
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