24-4-2024 (WASHINGTON) The wildly popular social media app TikTok is facing an uncertain future in the United States after the Senate approved legislation requiring the Chinese-owned platform to be divested from its parent company, ByteDance, or face being shut out of the American market.
The measure, part of a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes military assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, has now cleared Congress and is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
The move comes amid growing concerns from US and Western officials over the potential for Beijing to collect data and spy on users through the app, which boasts a staggering 170 million users in the United States alone.
Critics have also voiced alarm over TikTok’s alleged subservience to the Chinese government and its potential use as a conduit for spreading propaganda. Both China and the company have vehemently denied these claims.
The legislation, which could trigger the rare step of barring a company from operating in the US market, passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, securing a 79-18 vote just three days after it cleared the House of Representatives.
President Biden, who reiterated his concerns about TikTok during a recent telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has stated that he will sign the legislation into law.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, would have one year under the new law to divest from the app or face exclusion from Apple and Google’s app stores in the United States.
TikTok has vehemently criticized the move, describing it as “unfortunate” that lawmakers seek to “jam through a ban Bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy annually.”
The potential ban could trigger a wave of legal challenges, with TikTok suggesting that such a move would violate the free speech rights of its users.
In the wake of the legislation’s passage, potential buyers for TikTok have begun to emerge. Steven Mnuchin, who served as US Treasury Secretary under former President Donald Trump, has expressed interest in acquiring the app and has assembled a group of investors for a potential bid.
The legislation also grants the US president the authority to designate other applications as national security threats if they are controlled by countries deemed hostile, potentially setting the stage for further crackdowns on Chinese-owned platforms.
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