Biden Scheduled To Sign A Bill Banning Tik Tok

A controversial landmark bill that could result in TikTok's banning in the US was approved by the US Senate on Tuesday.

The measure gives ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, nine months to sell its ownership position or risk having the app disabled in the US.

US President Joe Biden is expected to receive the measure and has stated that he will sign it into law as soon as it hits his desk.

However, ByteDance stated that it would not be responding to the action right away. The company had previously declared that it will fight any attempt to make it sell Tik Tok.

Should the bill pass, ByteDance will be compelled to sell TikTok. However, any such transaction would still require Chinese government approval, and Beijing has promised to oppose it.

The legislation was approved in conjunction with four other bills that contained military assistance for Taiwan, Israel, Ukraine, and other US allies in the Indo-Pacific area.

Legislators overwhelmingly supported it; only 18 senators voted against it out of 79 who cast ballots.

Legislative efforts to separate Tik Tok from the Beijing-based corporation have been motivated by concerns that China may obtain access to data about millions of Americans.

Read Also: List Of Countries That Banned Tiktok

According to the social media giant, the law 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.” It was announced last week.

According to TikTok, ByteDance “is not an agent of China or any other country.” ByteDance further maintains that it is not a Chinese company, citing the international investment groups that hold 60% of the company.

A month ago, the company's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, declared that it will keep doing everything within its power, including using its “legal rights” to safeguard the platform.