The US Senate passed a package of bills this evening that included a package that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States. CNBC It is reported that the final number of votes in the US Senate for the bill was 79-18 in favor.
One of the reasons why this bill was approved in the US Senate was that it was included in the package approved over the weekend by a vote of the US House of Representatives. This 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 by President Joe Biden so that funding could begin as soon as possible.
The bill signing event will officially take place on Wednesday, according to CNBC. Biden already announced earlier this year that he would sign a similar TikTok bill into law if it reached his desk.
Once President Biden does sign the bill into law, it stipulates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, which is based in China, must sell its interest in the social media service within 270 days. Biden could order a 90-day extension of that deadline if there is a sense that such a deal is close to becoming a reality. If not, the US may ban TikTok from US app stores.
The reason for this bill in the first place is that there are a large number of US lawmakers who believe that ByteDance can collect personal data from TikTok users and then send that information to the Chinese government. ByteDance has repeatedly stated that this will not happen.
CNBC reports that if the bill does become law, an internal memo from ByteDance stated that the company would pursue a “legal challenge” against it. ByteDance has previously said that banning TikTok would violate its First Amendment rights to free speech. ByteDance has already filed a lawsuit against the US state of Montana for passing a similar law that would have banned the use of TikTok 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.