Senate Approves TikTok Ban, Awaits Biden’s Expected Signature
TL/DR –
The US Congress has passed legislation to ban or force a sale of TikTok due to its alleged national security risks. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has approximately nine months to sell the app or it will face a national ban, a deadline which could be extended by 90 days by the president. The measure, which poses the most significant threat yet to the app’s operations in the US, has broad bipartisan support due to concerns that TikTok’s Chinese ownership could allow the Chinese government to access Americans’ data, a claim that TikTok disputes.
TikTok Faces Sale or Ban Following Congressional Legislation
Congress has passed a bill to either ban or force the sale of TikTok, addressing long-standing alleged national security risks linked to the app’s Chinese ownership.
As a part of a comprehensive package providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, the Senate approved the measure 79 to 18. THe House passed it earlier, and President Biden plans to sign it into law shortly.
Once signed, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, will have nine months to sell the popular app or face a national ban, a deadline which could be extended by 90 days.
This legislation presents the most significant threat to TikTok’s operations in the US, where it boasts more than 170 million users. Among the reasons for the proposed restrictions are fears that the Chinese government could access Americans’ data. TikTok refutes these claims.
TikTok is expected to challenge the measure, setting up a potentially high-stakes and lengthy legal battle. Despite a vigorous campaign to derail the proposal, lawmakers remain unconvinced by TikTok’s efforts to bolster its data security.
The relationship between TikTok, ByteDance, and the US government has been under scrutiny for half a decade due to privacy concerns. In response, TikTok proposed a plan named Project Texas to safeguard US data, with Oracle as a potential partner. Despite this, lawmakers pushed to grant the executive branch the power to restrict the platform.
After a swift advancement of the legislation through the House, many senators initially expressed reservations about following suit. Once amendments were made to give ByteDance more time, support in the Senate increased. However, some liberal Democrats and libertarian Republicans continue to oppose the legislation due to concerns about government overreach and potential online speech curtailment.
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