- This contentious bill, which might outlaw TikTok in the US, was adopted by the US Senate.
- ByteDance has nine months to sell its stake or face the blocking of the app in the United States.
- Shou Zi Chew stated that the firm will keep using its “legal rights” to defend the platform.
This contentious bill, which might outlaw TikTok in the US, was adopted by the US Senate. As per the bill, ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has nine months to sell its stake or face the blocking of the app in the United States.
Joe Biden, the president of the United States, will receive the measure and sign it into law. If accepted, ByteDance will have to ask Chinese authorities for permission to finish a forced sale, which Beijing has promised to oppose. It may take years, according to analysts.
TikTok ban
The measure was one of four bills in a package that contained military assistance for Taiwan, Israel, Ukraine, and other US allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Leading Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Senator Marco Rubio, declared that the plan would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually.” Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, stated that the firm will keep using its “legal rights” to defend the platform.