The U.S. Senate has given a big thumbs-up to a law that would kick TikTok out of the country if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell the popular app in the next nine to twelve months. This move, backed by both Democrats and Republicans, is driven by fears that China could snoop on Americans using the app. President Biden is all set to sign it into law on Wednesday, sealing the deal. Senator Marco Rubio, a leading Republican, called it a smart move for America, slamming past decisions that let the Chinese Communist Party control such a big slice of American social media.
This decision has sparked a war of words between the U.S. and China, with Beijing slamming the move, arguing that there's no proof TikTok poses a security threat. This fight over TikTok is just one part of a bigger tech battle between the U.S. and China. Just last week, Apple had to boot out Meta Platforms' WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese App Store due to similar concerns. TikTok isn't taking this lying down; they plan to challenge the law, citing First Amendment rights. They've also vowed to take quick legal action, just like when a Montana judge blocked a state ban on TikTok last year, citing freedom of speech.
The American Civil Liberties Union has raised concerns, warning that banning or forcing TikTok to sell off could set a dangerous global precedent, giving governments too much power over social media. Despite TikTok's assurances that they don't and won't share American user data with China, the U.S. government seems determined to push this through.
The Senate passed the bill with a whopping 79-18 vote, tacking it onto a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This fast-tracked decision gives the Biden administration a stronger legal footing to ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn't play ball. Once the law is signed, ByteDance will have about nine months to sell off TikTok's U.S. operations, with a possible three-month extension if they're making progress. But many experts doubt ByteDance can pull off such a massive deal in such a short time, calling it a de facto TikTok ban.
While some, like Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, worry this law could be abused to violate Americans' rights, others, like Democratic Senator Ed Markey, think selling TikTok would be a complex and costly affair, hinting that the law could effectively kill TikTok in the U.S. Come November, this could be a hot topic in the presidential race, with Trump already urging young voters to think about a possible TikTok ban.
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