The U.S. Senate has decisively passed a bill mandating the sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The legislation emphasizes national security as the core concern and compels ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban as part of a broader $95 billion foreign aid package.
According to AP News, the bill was approved on Tuesday and is now awaiting President Joe Biden's signature, who has committed to signing it into law on Wednesday. This legislative action represents a significant step in the ongoing scrutiny over TikTok's ties to China, which critics argue pose a risk of espionage and data misuse.
The scope of the bill is wide-reaching, not only targeting TikTok's ownership but also prohibiting ByteDance from controlling the app's algorithm, which personalizes video content for users. This is a move to limit potential foreign influence on American users.
In addition, the legislation extends the period ByteDance has to divest its stakes in TikTok to nine months, with a potential three-month extension if a sale process is active. This revised timeline gives the company a slightly longer window to comply with U.S. demands.
Alongside the TikTok divestiture, the legislation also includes a broader foreign aid package supporting allies like Ukraine and Israel. The Senate passed this Package with a substantial majority of 79-18 votes.
Following the anticipated presidential approval, TikTok has signaled its intentions to challenge the legislation through judicial means. This is not TikTok's first encounter with legal hurdles in the U.S., as previous attempts to ban the app under the Trump administration were blocked by federal courts.
Furthermore, a similar state-level initiative in Montana was also halted by a federal judge, showcasing the complex legal landscape that TikTok navigates in its operations within the United States.
The previous administration had initiated a partial sale of TikTok to American companies Oracle and Walmart, though this deal ultimately fell through. The ongoing negotiations for TikTok's future are now being overseen by the U.S. government’s Committee on Foreign Investment, highlighting the intricate governmental oversight involved.
The legislative move has sparked reactions from various stakeholders. Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell stated that Congress's intent is not punitive towards TikTok or ByteDance specifically but rather to safeguard national interests against foreign threats.
In contrast, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, Michael Beckerman, expressed that the bill's signing would not be the end but the beginning of a protracted legal struggle. This sentiment is echoed by the platform's vast community of content creators, who have actively protested against the bill.
Content creators like Tiffany Cianci are particularly vocal, questioning the consistency of data privacy concerns across platforms, especially given high-profile figures like President Biden on TikTok itself.
The Senate's decision to enforce the divestiture of TikTok from ByteDance brings longstanding concerns over data privacy and national security to the fore. With President Biden's signature imminent, the situation is set to evolve as legal challenges are mounted and the global tech community watches closely. The ramifications of this legislation could redefine the landscape of social media operations and international tech relations in the future.
