Biden Signs Bill To Make Chinese Owner of TikTok Sell App Within A Year Or Face US Banned

Biden Signs Bill To Make Chinese Owner of TikTok Sell App Within A Year Or Face US Banned

Washington: US Senate voted by a wide margin on Tuesday in favor of a bill that would ban the short-video app in the nation if its owner, the Chinese tech company ByteDance, fails to divest it in the next nine months to a year. The bill was prompted by widespread concerns among US lawmakers that China could access Americans' data or surveil them using the help of TikTok. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden gave the measure his signature.

The leading Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Senator Marco Rubio, said, "For years we've permitted the Chinese Communist party to control the majority of the most popular apps in America... that was dangerously irresponsible."

"Make no mistake, this is a ban on you and your voice," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said to the app's 170 million US users, vowing to challenge the legislation in US courts.

The four-year conflict between Washington and Beijing over TikTok is just one front in their larger struggle over technology and the internet. Apple said last week that, in response to Chinese national security concerns, Beijing had asked it to remove Meta's WhatsApp and Threads from the Chinese app store.

Says TikTok to challenge US prohibition legislation in court

after questioned about the Senate's decision, the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed on Wednesday to remarks the ministry had made after the House of Representatives approved a measure that was identical in March. "Even though the US has never found evidence at all of TikTok posing a threat to the US's national security, it has not ceased going after TikTok," the statement said at the time, criticizing the law.

TikTok intends to contest the measure on First Amendment grounds, and its users anticipate retaliating in court as well. In November, a US court in Montana overturned a state ban on TikTok on the basis of free expression. A prohibition on or need for TikTok's divestment, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, would "set an alarming global precedent for excessive govt influence on social media platforms".

TikTok has informed staff that it would file a lawsuit right now to attempt to halt the law. TikTok claims it has not shared and will not disclose US user data with the Chinese government. The email, which Reuters was able to see, informed colleagues on Saturday that this was only the start of a lengthy process.

By a vote of 79 to 18, the Senate approved the measure. Adopted only a few weeks ago, the TikTok divestiture policy received expedited approval.

Apple, Google, and other app stores would not be able to lawfully provide TikTok or supply web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications or TikTok's website if ByteDance was unable to divest TikTok. The measure would also provide further authority to the White House to prohibit or compel the sale of other foreign-owned applications that it believes pose a security risk.

It may also play a factor in the contest for president in November. By signing, Biden establishes a deadline of January 19, which is one day before his tenure ends. However, he has the option to extend the deadline by an additional three months if he feels that ByteDance is moving forward. 

In an attempt to get people to pay attention, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that Biden was "pushing" for a ban on TikTok and that he would be held accountable if one were put in place. According to a campaign spokesperson on Wednesday, Biden's reelection campaign intends to keep utilizing TikTok. The Trump campaign isn't on TikTok.

The courts rejected then-Prez Trump's attempt to shut down TikTok in 2020. Nonetheless, analysts predict that if ByteDance is unable to divest the app, the new legislation would provide the Biden administration with a stronger legal foundation to prohibit TikTok.