The possibility of banning TikTok in the US moved one step closer after the Senate approved a landmark bill to force its China-based parent company to sell the app.
The bill gives ByteDance nine months to sell the popular social media platform – with the possibility of a three-month extension to finalize a deal – or the app will be blocked.
The project was approved in the Senate on Tuesday as part of a larger project $95 billion (£76.2 billion) package providing foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel.
It will now be sent to the US President Joe Bidenwho will sign it on Wednesday.
However, the company will likely launch a legal challenge against the bill, arguing that it will deprive the app’s 170 million US users of their First Amendment rights, which protect free speech.
It could also face opposition from from TikTok content creators who depend on the platform for income, while China had previously said it would oppose the forced sale of the popular app.
The bill is the culmination of long-standing fears on both sides of the political spectrum in Washington over TikTok’s ownership.
For years, U.S. politicians and officials have expressed concern that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data.
TikTok said it has never done this and would not do so if asked.
The use of TikTok by nearly four million federal government employees on devices belonging to their agencies is already banned in the US, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security investigation purposes.
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Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell said the move to force the sale of TikTok was not intended to “punish” ByteDance, TikTok or other companies.
“Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, and maligned operations that harm vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel,” she said.
Sky News has contacted TikTok for comment.
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