US bans TikTok owner ByteDance, will prohibit app in US unless it is sold
The Senate last night approved a bill that orders TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the company within 270 days or lose access to the US market. The House had already passed the bill, and President Biden signed it into law today.
The "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" was approved as part of a larger appropriations bill that provides aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. It passed in a 79-18 vote. Biden last night issued a statement saying he will sign the appropriations bill into law "as soon as it reaches my desk." He signed the bill into law today, according to news reports.
The bill classifies TikTok as a "foreign adversary controlled application" and gives the Chinese company ByteDance 270 days to sell it to another entity. Biden can extend the deadline by up to 90 days if a sale is in progress.
TikTok would maintain access to the US market if the president determines that the divestiture "would result in the relevant foreign adversary controlled application no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary." The same divestiture-or-sale requirement would apply to other applications subsequently designated as being controlled by foreign adversaries.
