US President Joe Biden signs legislation to ban or force the sale of TikTok

US President Joe Biden has signed legislation to ban or force the sale of the social media platform app TikTok.

Yesterday (April 23), US Congress voted to pass the bill that will ban TikTok in the United States unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform’s US stakes. The vote came three days after it cleared the House of Representatives.

Today (April 24), Biden signed the bill hours after Congress dealt the video-sharing platform’s Chinese ownership a historic rebuke following years of failed attempts to tackle the app’s alleged national security risks (per The Washington Post).

Biden had previously indicated that he would approve of the legislation once it had hit his desk. The bill was voted 79 to 18 late Tuesday (April 23) as part of a package that also offered aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

This now means that ByteDance – TikTok’s parent company – now has about nine months to sell the popular app. In the event that ByteDance does not sell the platform’s stakes in the United States, TikTok will be banned from US markets, and will be removed from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store nationwide.

Our CEO Shou Chew's response to the TikTok ban: pic.twitter.com/l0RAPJMobK

— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) April 24, 2024

TiKToK’s CEO Shou Chew responded to the bill in a video saying: “As you may have heard, Congress passed a bill that the president signed into law that is designed to ban TikTok in the United States. That will take TikTok away from you and 170 million Americans who find community and connection on our platform.”

He continued: “Make no mistake, this is ban. A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice. Politicians may say otherwise but don’t get it confused, many who sponsored the bill admit that a TikTok ban is their ultimate goal.

“It’s obviously a disappointing moment but it does not need to be a defining one. This is actually ironic, because the freedom of expression on TikTok reflects the same American values that make the United Stated a beacon of freedom. TikTok gives everyday Americans a powerful way to be seen and heard, and that’s why so many have made TikTok part of their daily lives. Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere. We are confident and we will keep on fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again.”

The social media platform shared a statement that reads: “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.”

It continued: “The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired.”

The bill was first brought up last month, when the US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 to give President Joe Biden the power to enforce a ban on the social media app over concerns that the app is a national security threat and a Chinese espionage tool.

TikTok has consistently disputed lawmakers’ claims that the company’s ownership structure could allow the Chinese government to gain access to the data of its millions of American users.

To date, over 30 American states, Canada, and the European Union have separately banned the app from use on government-owned devices over concerns it could be a security risk. India banned the app nationwide in January 2021, while Taiwan and Afghanistan did the same in 2022.

The bill was included as part of a US$95 billion foreign aid package, including military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. In response to the package, TikTok wrote on X last week (April 18): “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”

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