President Joe Biden Signs Law That Would Ban TikTok In The US If It's Not Sold

The Biden administration has taken action against TikTok.

On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law to ban the China-based social media app under parent company ByteDance in the U.S. if it’s not sold within a year, NPR reports. The move comes after the House of Representatives introduced in March the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which aims to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications,” as previously shared by AFROTECH™.

Under President Biden’s new law, if TikTok fails to be sold in 12 months, it would become illegal for web-hosting providers to host the platform. What’s more, Google and Apple would have to pull the popular app from its app stores. According to NPR, this is the first time that a law has been passed that could result in banning a social media platform in the U.S.

What has led to this timeline of events is U.S. government officials have voiced concerns about TikTok putting Americans’ data privacy and digital security at risk of exposure to the Chinese government.

“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok, or any other individual company,” Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell said as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, speaking on the Senate floor on April 23, according to the outlet. “Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”

For companies and/or investors that are interested in purchasing TikTok from ByteDance, it’s a requirement for them to gain approval from the Chinese government. However, top officials are against the sale, the outlet notes.

A few days before the law was passed, the platform announced that it was prepared to challenge the U.S. House of Representatives’ bill in court, as previously reported by AFROTECH™.

“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared in a statement. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.”

Now, as a result of the newly passed law, TikTok is embarking on taking the Biden administration to court as it strongly believes that it is against the right of free speech in the U.S.