U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign a law that sets a January 2025 deadline for Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its U.S. operation. Lawmakers behind the ban have warned of national security risks from the popular social video app.

Washington

U.S. President Joe Biden is poised to sign a new law that could lead to the banning of the social video app TikTok in the United States, unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its U.S. operations by January 2025. The legislation reflects bipartisan concern over national security risks associated with the app, which is widely used across the country.

The Senate recently passed the bill with significant support, aiming to mitigate potential threats posed by TikTok. U.S. intelligence and FBI Director Christopher Wray have expressed concerns that the app could be used by the Chinese government to access user data of American citizens, spread propaganda, or misinformation due to ByteDance's obligations to the Chinese government. Specifically, worries focus on data privacy, the app's recommendation algorithm, and its underlying software.

TikTok is not only a popular platform for entertainment but also serves as a source of income for more than 170 million Americans. The potential ban has raised alarms among content creators who fear losing their audience and income. In response, many are diversifying their presence across other social media platforms to retain their followers.

Originally set for September, the deadline for TikTok's sale was extended to January following the next U.S. elections, indicating the significant role the platform plays in political campaigning and the desire to mitigate backlash from younger voters. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have expressed their stances on the TikTok ban, highlighting its contentious nature in U.S. politics.

As ByteDance faces a tight deadline to sell TikTok, the company is preparing for a legal challenge against the ban, citing First Amendment rights. This response follows a successful precedent set by TikTok when a Montana judge blocked a state law banning the app. The outcome of this legal battle remains uncertain, as does the potential for a sale and the future of TikTok in the U.S. market.



Biden to sign law that could ban TikTok in U.S.

This is a big deal, but few issues united divided Congress than taking on big tech, and we saw last night the Senate voted overwhelmingly on that bill that will now force TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, which is owned by the Chinese government, nine months to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner. If not, TikTok would be banned from the U.S. app stores or hosting companies. Now, U.S. lawmakers briefed by intelligence agencies have long warned the Chinese government could access TikTok account holders' user data to spy on Americans or promote Chinese propaganda or disinformation on the app. FBI Director Christopher Wray is one of the loudest voices sounding the alarms. Take a listen to what he had to say yesterday on NBC News. TikTok for us represents a national security concern, and the reason I say that is that TikTok's parent company is beholden to the Chinese government. So that for us manifests itself in three specific ways. It has to do with the data. It has to do with the recommendation algorithm. It has to deal with the software. Now, it's worth noting here that TikTok is valued at billions of dollars and is wildly popular here. More than 170 million Americans use it for entertainment or as an income source. So you can imagine some content creators are quite concerned what happens next. They're terrified. I think all of us right now are kind of trying to pick up more on Instagram and other platforms, too, just in case. Like, we hope our followers obviously follow us everywhere, but that doesn't happen all the time. But we are going to push even more to put them onto other platforms just in case. Now, here's the thing. Under the original bill, the ban would take effect in September, but the Senate purposely moved that deadline to January of next year, notably after November's election. That's because TikTok will likely be a major force during the campaign for candidates to reach younger voters, and a delay may help politicians avoid the backlash. Now, how this will play out on the campaign trail remains to be seen. President Joe Biden has said he supports banning TikTok, while former President Donald Trump, who pushed for a ban in office, is now opposed. Richard, when Joe Biden signs that law, as expected today, that's obviously going to be a pivotal moment in a long political fight to ban TikTok in the United States. But is that fight close to being over? I mean, you mentioned nine months, so obviously there's time to come and more developments on this likely. What is TikTok likely to do and what is it saying already? Yeah, you're right, Heather. The fight is far from over. TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight. According to a staff memo from TikTok's American executives over the weekend, they say they're planning to challenge this bill in court under the First Amendment. Now, this strategy worked for them last year when a Montana judge blocked a similar state law that banned TikTok, so we'll see what happens there. In the meantime, the White House has the power to extend that deadline by another three months, possibly longer if a sale is underway. So the question is, will the Chinese government agree to sell this very valuable company? And of course, who's out there to buy it?

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