TikTok sues US government to block potential ban of app NBC Chicago [Video]

TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are suing the U.S. over a law that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless it’s sold to another company, arguing that it relies on vaguely painting it as a threat to national security to get around the First Amendment.

The widely expected lawsuit filed on Tuesday may be setting up what will likely be a protracted legal fight over TikTok’s future in the United States — and could end up before the Supreme Court. If TikTok loses, it says it will be forced to shut down next year.

The popular social video company says that the law, which President Joe Bidensigned as part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package, is so “obviously unconstitutional” that the sponsors of the measure are trying to portray it not as a ban, but as a regulation of TikTok’s ownership. It’s the first time the U.S. government has singled out a social media company …