While TikTok plans to challenge the law in court, calling it an "unprecedented deal" in an internal memo, creators and brands are worried about the potential impacts.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, struck the latest blow in a high-stakes clash between the social media company and the U.S. government, filing a lawsuit this week challenging a forced sale of TikTok as unconstitutional.

US President Joe Biden signed legislation last month that could trigger a nationwide ban of the popular social-media app TikTok within a year. Researchers who use the app to communicate science to curious followers, study social trends and earn money to support themselves are dismayed and frustrated.

In a move that underscores the growing tensions between technology and governance, TikTok has initiated a legal battle against the U.S. government. This lawsuit emerges in response to a groundbreaking law that mandates the sale of the app by its Chinese parent company,

As US lawmakers’ agitation over TikTok culminates in a law that threatens a nationwide ban if the social media platform isn’t sold to a US buyer within nine months, an emergent media narrative finds a silver lining.

The law may either force TikTok to separate from ByteDance or ban the app in the US, citing national security concerns. TikTok argues that the law targets it unfairly and violates the First Amendment's rules on free speech.