Before Sunday’s hearing, other tech companies weighed in on TikTok’s side. “There is no previous example in U.S. history of a complete ban of a media platform that directly deprives a quarter of the U.S. population access to information on that platform,” NetChoice, a trade group that represents online giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google, said in a court filing.
The group also warned that the Trump administration’s ban could provide other governments “with new justifications for preventing American technology businesses from accessing foreign markets.” It said the U.S. government hasn’t provided “evidence that China’s Communist Party or military have acquired data on TikTok’s users in the United States,” adding that the government could address its concerns in other ways, such as data security safeguards.