Biden signs law banning TikTok in the US, sets 270-day deadline to divest

TikTok CEO Zhou Zhouzi announced yesterday (April 24) that he believes TikTok will overcome the US ban. After President Joe Biden signed into law legislation that forced TikTok to divest, Otherwise, it will be banned from use in the United States. It is one of the countries with the highest usage of TikTok in the world at 170 million people.

The move comes after Biden signed new legislation on Wednesday requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations within a 270-day deadline or face a ban. And soon after, Zhou Zhouzi posted a video on social media saying, “Rest assured, we are not going anywhere… The facts and the Constitution are on our side. And we expect to win again.”

That means TikTok’s deadline will be January 19, 2025, just one day before Biden’s term ends. But he could extend the deadline for another three months if he sees ByteDance making progress on the issue.

White House spokesperson Caryn Jean-Pierre said: “We don’t want a ban to happen. But the point is that it is owned by the People’s Republic of China.”

Why does the US want to ban TikTok?

Over the years since TikTok rose to become one of America’s most popular apps, Members of the U.S. legislature There is also concern that the Chinese government may be able to gain access to the data of citizens in the country through coordination with TikTok. On Tuesday (April 23), the US Senate The green light has been given to the draft law. It received overwhelming support from members of both parties.

The law is also considered a new tool by the U.S. government. It will also be used to issue orders to ban or force foreign applications to divest if they are considered a threat to national security.

What happens if TikTok can’t overcome this law?

If ByteDance doesn’t sell TikTok, app downloaders like Apple, Google, and others won’t be able to legally make TikTok downloadable or provide web hosting for applications under ByteDance’s umbrella. or TikTok’s website

Meanwhile, some politicians have called on the U.S. government to Think hard about the consequences. This is especially true of the plight of TikTok’s 8,000 US employees, most of whom are in New York or California.

Senator LaFonza Butler, Democrat sent a letter to Biden stating, “We must consider the impact on TikTok workers and our local economy. as we chart the path forward.”

File photo: Elizabeth Frantz/REUTERS

refer: