Attorneys also argued that many messaging app users were well aware of the potential for surveillance, including from the US. It was up to them to decide whether or not to use an app, not the government.

The plaintiffs in the case hope to get a preliminary injunction that would block the order while the lawsuit is in progress.

The lawsuit isn’t guaranteed to work. The White House and others have insisted that Chinese-made social apps like WeChat and TikTok are national security threats over concerns the Chinese government might force them to hand over sensitive user data. That belief could play heavily into the government’s case.

There’s no publicly available evidence these data raids are happening, however, and the claimed constitutional violations would be significant if true. For that matter, a temporary injunction would be helpful by itself — it would buy time that would allow for a stronger defense, or even a different administration that might be less inclined toward an outright ban.