On Tuesday afternoon, the US Senate voted in favor of the TikTok, with a vote of 79 to 18.
The bill, which essentially imposes a ban on the app unless ByteDance sells it to an owner within the US, received congressional approval this week.
This was part of a larger package of initiatives that includes $90 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. After the overwhelming vote in the Senate, President Joe Biden announced that he intends to sign the bill into law next Wednesday, clearing the final hurdle before the bill to divest or ban TikTok becomes law
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"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-Calif., noted from the Senate floor on Tuesday that in recent years we have recognized how fragile and precious democracy is. "Its survival amid the challenges of the modern century – the new threats – is not guaranteed unless we are prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect it."
TikTok has announced its intention to legally challenge the US government over its proposed ban, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. The popular social media platform says the ban is a “clear violation” of the First Amendment free speech rights of its 170 million American users. The unprecedented legal challenge is likely to reach the Supreme Court.
The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary-Controlled Apps Act,” commonly known as the TikTok bill, grants the White House increased powers to crack down on apps deemed to pose a threat to national security. Through it, US Presidents are authorized to diagnose apps as “foreign adversary-controlled,” requiring their sale to American owners within 270 days, with the possibility of an extension by President Joe Biden to 360 days, instead of the initial 180. In the event that the sale does not take place, the apps will be blocked from app stores and blocked by internet service in the US.
TikTok has long denied allegations that it shares information with the Chinese government. However, in March, senators received classified briefings about TikTok from senior national security officials that revealed troubling details about the app’s spying capabilities. According to senators told Axios, TikTok can turn on the microphone on users’ devices and track their activity on other apps. However, none of this information has been made public.
An earlier version of the bill quickly passed the House in March but stalled in the Senate for more than a month. By attaching the TikTok bill to a critical international aid package, lawmakers were able to almost certainly secure Senate approval.
Technology lawyers are raising concerns about the TikTok bill, saying its vague language could lead to the banning of apps beyond TikTok. The concern stems from the bill’s vague definitions of “foreign enemy-controlled apps” and the president’s broad and nearly unfettered authority to classify such apps.
As President Donald Trump prepares to sign legislation targeting TikTok, former President Donald Trump has revised his stance on the social media platform. Donald Trump, who previously tried to ban TikTok in 2020 through an executive order — which was later overturned by a federal court — is now supporting the platform. He posted on Truth Social on Monday saying that “Jo Biden is responsible for banning TikTok.”.
Donald Trump’s seemingly contradictory take on the issue is likely to win over younger voters. Despite overwhelming support in Congress, the U.S. ban on TikTok is unpopular with voters. Just 38% of U.S. adults say they would support a ban on TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center. If Biden signs the TikTok bill, he will look strong against China, but he could lose important voters.
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TikTok says the bill would “crush” free speech in America, an increasingly popular claim among social media apps. Elon Musk’s X and Trump’s Truth Social are making similar arguments for their app’s controversial content. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is going the other way. Facebook ,Threads and Instagram have pledged to de-prioritize news on their social media sites, creating duller apps in exchange for less controversy.
Source: gizmodo
