By Yunfei Liu
On Thursday, multiple AAPI non-profits voiced their objections to the TikTok ban by filing their arguments in an amicus brief to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
The groups include Arizona AANHPI for Equity Coalition; Asian American Federation; Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California; the Calos Coalition; the Hispanic Heritage Foundation; Muslim Public Affairs Council; Native Realities; OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Seattle; OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates San Francisco; Sadhana; Sikh Coalition; and the South Asian Legal Defense Fund.
The major concern of these Asian American non-profit organizations is that the ban fans the flames of existing anti-Asian hate by singling out one social media company associated with Asians and Asian Americans.
“There is an opportunity to hold all social media accountable. That’s great. But for now, you can’t just single out one company because the CEO looks like us,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, the Executive Director of the Asian American Federation. “Show us the evidence without nullifying our community.”
Until there is clear evidence proving that TikTok is damaging national security, the amicus brief said, the TikTok ban is a pretext for Anti-Asian hate that has been witnessed throughout the United States history of “vague and unfounded national security concerns to demonize minorities” including the Japanese camp in World War II, and the incident where Rep. Tom Cotton grilled the CEO of TikTok for his relation with the Chinese Communist Party, even though the latter repeated that he is Singaporean.
At the end of last year, a federal judge in Montana blocked Montana State’s ban on TikTok for its “weak” comparison to a foreign country and pointed out that it could be “reflective of the pervasive undertone of anti-Chinese sentiment that permeates the State’s case and the instant legislation.”
The brief emphasized TikTok’s importance as a social media platform to both break stereotypes provide education, communication and a shared common experience among Asian Americans and other marginalized groups. People of color use TikTok disproportionally more, according to a Pew survey.
The case currently under consideration is TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd. v. Merrick B. Garland, the U.S. Attorney General.
The Department of Justice and the office of the Attorney General have not yet responded to multiple media requests from AsAmNews regarding this case.
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