CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
650-703-4523
December 27, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) and a coalition of human rights organizations, including the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Watch, the International Campaign for Tibet, the Uyghur American Association, the Uyghur Human Rights Project, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, have united with Thayer, P.L.L.C. to file an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case TikTok, Inc., et al. v. Merrick B. Garland.
This case marks the next step in the legal battle over the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, also known as the “TikTok Bill.” Signed into law by President Joe Biden on April 24, 2024, the Act requires apps owned by entities linked to designated foreign adversaries—such as TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—to divest from U.S. operations. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected TikTok’s lawsuit, which argued that the forced divestiture violated its First Amendment rights. TikTok has appealed the decision, and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.
CFU previously led a coalition of 39 groups in a joint letter to the Senate advocating for the Act. Additionally, CFU and other amici first supported the legislation through an amicus brief filed in the D.C. Circuit. Both initiatives highlighted the dangers of CCP-linked apps like TikTok in enabling surveillance and transnational repression, particularly against human rights activists. With the Supreme Court hearing approaching, the coalition has united again to support the Act.
“TikTok, facilitates the monitoring and silencing of dissenters, reflecting the same authoritarian tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party in the Uyghur genocide,” said Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs. “We are proud to stand with this coalition to advocate for digital safety, accountability, and the protection of human rights.”
The amicus brief underscores that TikTok, is not just a social media app—it is an instrument of the CCP’s global strategy to gain access to sensitive user data, silence dissent, target activists through surveillance, and suppress free speech. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act places essential safeguards against this threat, ensuring that CCP-controlled platforms cannot jeopardize U.S. national security or the safety of those who draw awareness to the Chinese government’s human rights abuses and genocide.
To read the entire Amicus brief visit: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-656/336057/20241227120841447_Nos.%2024-656%2024-657%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf
