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The US Senate has taken a significant step toward potentially banning TikTok within the country by passing the National Security Package, which also contains the contentious provision for TikTok’s potential ban.
This bill, having swiftly passed through the House of Representatives earlier in the week, is now bound for President Joe Biden’s desk. The President has previously expressed his intention to sign it into law.
TikTok, a popular social media platform, is now closer to facing a potential ban in the US following the Senate vote. If such a ban were to materialize, the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, would have two options: either divest itself to a US-based entity within the next year or risk TikTok effectively being banned in the US.
TikTok has vehemently opposed the ban and mandated sale, arguing that it infringes upon the free speech rights of its 170 million American users.
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Various members of both the House and the Senate have been vocal in their opposition to TikTok, characterizing it as a vehicle for “Chinese propaganda” and alleging ties to foreign adversaries.
Concerns have also been raised about the platform’s purported sharing of significant amounts of user data with the Chinese Communist Party.