The US Senate passed a bill package this evening that included one that could possibly lead to the ban of TikTok in the United States. CNBC reports that the final vote tally in the US Senate for the bill package was 79-18 in favor.
One of the reasons why this bill was approved by the US Senate was that it was included in a package that was approved over the weekend by a vote of the US House of Representatives. That package also includes bills for the US to fund military aid to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. There was a sense of urgency to send the package to the US Senate so that it could pass and then be signed into law by President Joe Biden so that the funding could begin ASAP.
That bill signing event will officially happen on Wednesday, according to CNBC. Biden had already indicated earlier this year he would sign a similar TikTok bill into law if it reached his desk.
Once President Biden does sign the bill into law, it states that the China-based parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, must sell off its interest in the social media service within 270 days. Biden can order a 90-day extension of that deadline if there is a feeling such a deal is close to becoming a reality. If it does not, the US could ban TikTok from US app stores.
The reason for this bill in the first place is that there is a large number of US lawmakers who believe ByteDance could gather personal data from TikTok users and then send that information to the Chinese government. ByteDance has repeatedly stated this would not happen.
CNBC reports that if the bill does become law, an internal memo from ByteDance stated the company would pursue a “legal challenge” against it. ByteDance has said in the past a ban on TikTok would violate its First Amendment rights for free speech. ByteDance has already filed a lawsuit against the US state of Montana for passing a similar law that would have banned TikTok from use in that state.
Since that law was passed in mid-2023, a US judge has approved an injunction preventing Montana from enforcing it until a full trial can be held.
29 Comments - Add comment