TikTok in the US is everything: US President Joe Biden has signed a bill to ban TikTok

After a quick vote in the House of Representatives last Saturday, yesterday the US Senate passed a national security package that includes a potential ban on TikTok. According to US legislative protocol, the bill was sent to President Joe Biden for his signature today and he signed it as previously promised.

Here's What We Know

US President Joe Biden has signed a law that requires Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, to sell the app within 270 days or else it will lose access to the US market. The law, called the "Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act," was passed as part of a big budget bill that also includes aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Now if ByteDance doesn't sell TikTok, app shops in the US will be required to remove the app and internet hosts will not be able to provide services that allow TikTok to be distributed in the US. Companies that violate the ban will be required to pay fines.

ByteDance said it will appeal the law in court. "We are confident and will continue to fight for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail." said Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson called the law "unconstitutional" and said it would "devastate" the platform's 170 million U.S. users and the 7 million businesses running the app.

Source: CNN