A government administered TikTok ban may soon become the American reality. Nine months ago, the house and senate passed a bill pushing to ban TikTok in America for fear of security threats. Today, President Biden signed off on the bill.
This sign off means that TikTok has one year to take action or it will be banned in America. TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance is being asked to sell the app and lose ownership or else the government will ban the app. The government made statements about security threats and information leaks via the parent company’s technology.
However, many American people are voicing their concerns of this ban as a violation of Freedom of Speech from the First Amendment. This ban would impact the current 170 million American TikTok users.
On Saturday, April 20 the House voted in favor of the bill. The final vote from the House tallied 360 in favor and 58 against.
The Senate’s vote today passed the bill, with a majority vote in favor of the ban. Biden finalized by signing off on the TikTok ban bill.
This bill however does not ban TikTok until about one year from now. The bill gives ByteDance 270 days, 9 months, to divest.
What does the TikTok ban mean for current users?
TikTok’s ban could become effective from January 2025. TikTok CEO Shou Chew said the company will fight back and go to court if they must, to maintain their U.S. presence.
“We are confident, and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail,” said Chew.
Proponents of the TikTok ban argue that the app’s Chinese ownership inflates the risk of unauthorized access to U.S. consumer’s data.