President Biden Signs TikTok Ban Bill, Deadline Officially Begun

US President Joe Biden has signed a bill banning TikTok if parent company ByteDance, based in China, does not divest the app within a year.

With the passage of the divest-or-ban measure into law, ByteDance’s timeframe has officially begun. The company has nine months to negotiate a deal; however, if the president perceives improvement, he may extend that period by an additional three months.

Politics played a role in ensuring that the law reached Biden’s desk, even though it appeared, that it would stall in the Senate after passing the House as a stand-alone bill. The Senate was essentially forced to debate the TikTok bill as a package as the House combined it with foreign aid to US allies, extending the divestment deadline from the previous version’s six months. Additionally, several lawmakers who were undecided appeared to come around because of the extended divestment period.

In a statement by Alex Haurek, a spokesman for TikTok, the firm intends to challenge the law in court. Should the courts choose to delay enforcement while they work out a resolution, this might ultimately result in an extension of the deadline. The question of China’s reaction and potential approval for ByteDance’s sale of TikTok and, most significantly, its precious algorithm that entices users to return to the app still needs to be addressed.

“We will keep investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a place where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired,” Haurek stated in response to the unconstitutional ban. 

In response to claims made by certain politicians that they merely wish to see the site freed from Chinese control, TikTok CEO Shou Chew stated in a video uploaded on the network on Wednesday, “Make no mistake, this is a ban.” Chew added “A ban on your voice and a ban on TikTok.”