The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that will require TikTok to be sold into U.S. ownership or face a ban in the region. The bill, which was initially proposed last month and approved by the House of Representatives, was reshaped into a broader foreign aid push to speed up the Senate vote. This combined proposal, which includes provisions for military aid in Ukraine and Israel, passed in the Senate with a vote of 79 to 18 in favor. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden for approval, and he has stated that he will sign it.
The primary concern among U.S. officials regarding TikTok is the risk of the app being used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P), as well as the transfer of U.S. user data back to China. Despite TikTok’s assurances that it operates independently from its Chinese owners, the decision has been made to force the app into a sale. The bill aims to address concerns about the potential influence of foreign adversaries on the American public, with specific focus on Chinese influence operations. The history of Chinese influence programs across various social media platforms has raised concerns about the potential threat posed by TikTok.
Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all identified instances of Chinese influence operations on their platforms, which has contributed to the decision to force TikTok into a sale. If President Biden signs the bill, ByteDance will have 9 months to sell TikTok to a U.S.-based owner or face removal from the region. The Chinese government has expressed opposition to the forced sell-off and may prefer a complete ban on the app in the U.S. The outcome of this political decision could result in TikTok being permanently banned or sold off to a party that would maintain the platform without its Chinese ties.
There are questions about the future of TikTok post-sale, including whether it can continue to operate with ByteDance-owned algorithms and remain as compelling without them. The deadline for ByteDance to comply with the sale could be extended by 30 days if they meet the requirements of an appeal. Despite the potential complications, it is expected that an agreement will be reached to keep TikTok operational. However, the outcome depends on various factors, including the stance of the Chinese government and the willingness of interested U.S. parties to acquire the platform. The coming weeks will bring clarity on the fate of TikTok in the U.S. once President Biden signs the bill.