The US Senate has greenlit legislation mandating the separation of the popular social media app TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face expulsion from the American market.
This development emerged as part of a comprehensive $95 billion foreign aid package, encompassing military support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which has successfully passed through Congress and awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.
The US and other Western officials have raised concerns regarding TikTok’s immense popularity among youth centres due to allegations of Beijing facilitating data collection and surveillance. With a staggering 170 million users in the United States, TikTok has become a focal point of scrutiny.
Critics assert that TikTok is a tool for Beijing’s influence and propaganda dissemination, a claim vehemently denied by China and the company itself.
A bipartisan bill, signalling potential measures to bar a company from operating within the US, secured a decisive 79-18 vote in the Senate following its earlier passage in the House of Representatives.
President Biden’s commitment to signing the legislation underscores the gravity of concerns surrounding TikTok, as reiterated in a recent rare conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
TikTok’s response to the House vote expressed disappointment, highlighting potential ramifications on free speech, businesses, and the US economy.
The legislation mandates ByteDance to divest TikTok within a year, failing which the app could face exclusion from major app stores like Apple and Google in the United States.
Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, assembling a group of investors for potential acquisition.
TikTok has long been under the radar of US authorities regarding concerns about facilitating Chinese surveillance, with the prospect of a ban potentially leading to legal challenges.
The bill grants the US president authority to designate other applications as national security threats if controlled by adversarial nations.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), opposed banning TikTok, citing concerns over freedom of speech and expression.
In summary, the Senate’s approval of legislation targeting TikTok underscores growing apprehensions over its ties to China and implications for national security and freedom of expression in the United States.
