TikTok has sued the US over a law that could ban its app. What’s the legal outlook? WSOC TV [Video]

NEW YORK — (AP) — A newly minted law forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. could be in for an uphill battle in court.

The app’s China-based owner, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit Tuesday, calling the measure unconstitutional. Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue it violates TikTok users’ First Amendment rights.

But a court challenge’s success is not guaranteed. The law’s opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn’t come close to justifying banning TikTok, while others say national-security claims could still prevail.

For years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok. The U.S. has yet to provide public evidence to support those claims, but political pressures have piled up regardless.

If upheld, legal experts also stress that the law could set …