TikTok Faces Potential Ban or US Sale After Senate Vote

The US Senate on Tuesday passed a measure mandating TikTok's parent firm, ByteDance, must sell the social media platform within a year or risk a countrywide ban from US app stores.

A strong vote of 79 senators to 18 passed the TikTok ban legislation. The House passed the law 360 to 58 on Saturday as part of a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. President Joe Biden, who has pledged to sign the bill, will now evaluate it, according to The Guardian.

ByteDance has to sell TikTok to a US company, or it will be withdrawn from US app stores under the new law. Chinese company ByteDance has opposed any forced sale of the app. However, the TikTok ban bill's passing emphasizes lawmakers' urgency in resolving national security and data privacy concerns.

Harvard University's Belfer Center tech specialist Doug Calidas said, the rapid legislative action is significant. It is remarkable for both houses to move so swiftly on a major issue to adopt legislation in a few weeks.

While the law awaits presidential approval, a legal stalemate might affect TikTok's US ownership and operation. ByteDance, TikTok's parent firm, is expected to take legal action, possibly to the Supreme Court, which could delay the US banning process for years, as per a report from The BBC.

What's Next for TikTok?

ByteDance has nine months to sell TikTok and a three-month grace period, according to the TikTok ban measure. However, finding acceptable buyers and managing a potentially excessive price tag, possibly in the tens of billions of dollars, might limit the pool of possible bidders.

Failure to close a deal on time may result in the TikTok's nationwide ban. The US government has concerns about TikTok's potential for espionage or propagandistic operations stemming from data privacy and Chinese government access to user data, which TikTok denies.

TikTok has approximately 170 million users in the United States, suggesting that any decision on its fate might have major public and political repercussions. Given his outspoken support for the measure in the foreign assistance package, it is anticipated that President Biden will approve it quickly. Having previously supported TikTok legislation, he is unlikely to oppose this current version, which extends the deadline and gives the White House more role in the transaction.

After Biden's signature, TikTok users may face disconnection if the app fails to cut links with ByteDance by January, according to CNN. Since this decision is unknown, TikTok users can continue using the app as usual, despite creators and corporations increasingly resisting the regulation.

Participants hold signs in support of TikTok as they walk on the East Front Plaza of the U.S. Capitol Building on April 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Senate is taking up a $95 billion foreign aid package today for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which includes legislation that would require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States.

TikTok Vows Legal Battle Against Potential Ban

Michael Beckerman, TikTok's head of public policy for the Americas, said the business will sue, claiming it violates the First Amendment.

"We'll continue to fight, as this legislation is a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok," Beckerman said.

TechTimes earlier reported that TikTok plans to sue any attempts to prohibit or compel the sale of its US business after the House of Representatives passed the measure over the weekend.

TikTok had earlier legal triumphs in the U.S., including a Montana district court's rejection of a state-imposed ban of the app for violating free speech rights and government overreach. Judge Donald Molloy stressed the ban's unconstitutionality, reaffirming TikTok's dedication to user freedom through lawful means.