US Senate Passes Bill That Could Ban TikTok
- Publish date: Wednesday، 24 April 2024
The bill was passed as part of a larger package including proposals for foreign aid.
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The US Senate approved a controversial bill that could ban TikTok in the US after the US House approved the bill.
The approval of this landmark bill gives TikTok's owner, the Chinese internet technology company ByteDace, nine months to sell its stake or TikTok will be blocked permanently in the US.
TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, Michael Beckerman emphasized that the company will fight the newly approved bill in court.
The approved bill will now be passed to US President Joe Biden who only has to sign it into law to implement the ban on TikTok in the US.
The bill was part of a larger package of foreign aid proposals, which was supported by the votes of 79 senators with 18 voting against the package.
Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that TikTok threatens national security and accuses the company of sharing American users' data with the Chinese government, which TikTok has vehemently denied.
If this bill is implemented as a law, then Apple's App Store and Google Play will be forced to stop offering TikTok for download because they could face financial penalties as a consequence of doing so.
TikTok has emphasized that blocking the app in the US will ruin seven million businesses. Shutting down TikTok in the country will also hurt the economy because the social media app contributes $24 billion to the US economy.
The chief executive officer of TikTok Shou Zi Chew promised in March that his company would exert all their efforts including exercising its legal rights to protect TikTok.
The social media company gathered support against the potential ban including a lobbying campaign to stop the ban from being implemented.
The company also encouraged TikTok users and creators to express their opposition to the bill.
University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias shared that if a buyer for ByteDance's stake is not found within nine months, it could further delay any action against TikTok in the US.