Next week could see a Senate vote as soon as possible.
It looks like the bill that would outlaw TikTok in the US is getting closer to becoming law. The proposal was easily passed by the House of Representatives last month, but a few well-known legislators opposed it, so its future in the Senate was unclear.
However, there appears to be renewed support for the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.” This weekend, the House will vote on a number of proposals, including a slightly altered version of the TikTok law. Rather than the six months specified in the initial plan, ByteDance would have up to a year to sell TikTok under the most recent version of the bill.
According to NBC News, the modification was crucial in gaining the approval of certain sceptic senators, such as Sen. Maria Cantwell, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. Thus, the bill’s future is beginning to seem much more definite as the House is set to approve it on Saturday. It is a part of a package that also includes funding to Israel and Ukraine, and a Senate vote is anticipated “as early as next week,” according to NBC. In the event that Congress passes the law, President Joe Biden has stated he will sign it.
If enacted into law, declining to sell to a new owner would result in TikTok (and possibly other applications “controlled by a foreign adversary” and considered a national security concern) being banned from US app stores. CEO of TikTok Shou Chew has hinted that the company will probably file a lawsuit against the government.
“It’s regrettable that the House of Representatives is once again attempting to ram through a ban bill that would violate the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, destroy 7 million businesses, and shut down a platform that generates $24 billion in revenue for the U.S. economy each year under the guise of crucial foreign and humanitarian assistance,” a statement from TikTok stated.