Employees walk outside the headquarters of ByteDance, the owner of video sharing app TikTok, in Beijing on Aug 5, 2020. (NOEL CELIS / AFP)

BEIJING – ByteDance, owner of the popular video platform TikTok, announced on Sunday that it will file a lawsuit against the US government Tuesday Beijing time to protect its rights and interests while beginning to prepare a shutdown plan for its business in the United States. 

"Over the past year, we have earnestly sought to communicate with the US government, and provided solutions regarding its concerns. But the US administration disregarded facts, disobeyed necessary legal procedures, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses," ByteDance said in a statement.  

ByteDance is preparing for the worst – a shutdown plan to keep its employees in the US on the payroll, even if the app is shut down there 

"To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded, and that our company and users are treated fairly, we announce that we will officially file a lawsuit to safeguard our interests." 

READ MORE: China slams US executive order on TikTok 

Besides the lawsuit, the company is also preparing for the worst – a shutdown plan to keep its employees in the United States on the payroll, even if the app is shut down in the country. 

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug 6, blocking all transactions with ByteDance, to "address the national emergency." 

ALSO READ: WeChat users sue to block Trump’s ban of messaging app

The New York Times reported on Aug 7 that even the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed that there is no evidence showing China had intercepted TikTok's data, or used the app to intrude on users' mobile phones. 

The order was to take effect within 45 days. On Aug 14, the president signed another executive order, this time giving ByteDance 90 days to sell or spin off TikTok in the US. 

TikTok has more than 100 million users, over 1,500 employees and thousands of business partners in the US, according to ByteDance. 

ByteDance worries that, due to the extremely wide scope and highly uncertain content of the US executive order against ByteDance, the company is unable to ensure that a solution acceptable to all parties can be reached within the time limit set by the US government. 

READ MORE: Trump backs Oracle's TikTok bid in boost for donor Ellison 

In just a few years, TikTok has become one of the most beloved apps among the global youth population, providing a platform for people to display their talent through short videos. 

Data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower showed that it was the most downloaded non-gaming app globally in June 2020, and its installs were much higher than those of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube during the first two quarters in the US. 

Besides the company's lawsuit, its US employees are also planning to take the Trump administration to court over the executive order.