Who wants to ban TikTok in the US and why?
Lawmakers from both major US political parties backed a bill that would ban TikTok unless ByteDance agrees to sell it to a non-Chinese company.
They fear the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data on TikTok’s 170 million American users.
TikTok insists it will not provide foreign user data to the Chinese government.
In April, after congressional approval, President Joe Biden signed a bill that cleared the way for the forced sale of TikTok.
Previous attempts to block the app on national security grounds in the US had failed.
Former US President Donald Trump tried to ban the app when he was in the White House in 2020.
But Trump — the 2024 Republican presidential nominee — has criticized the new legislation, arguing that restricting TikTok would unfairly favor Facebook.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democratic candidate against Mr. Trump, has used TikTok and popular social media trends like Charli XCX’s “Brat” to win over young voters.
A spokeswoman for their campaign previously said they would “simply like to see a change of ownership” of TikTok, rather than a ban.
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When could TikTok be banned?
Biden’s signing of the bill did not mean an immediate US ban on TikTok, but it did start a ticking clock.
The law gives ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok to a new buyer, with an additional three months before a ban takes effect.
TikTok said this could mean the company is forced to sell or close in the US by January 19, 2025, after the US presidential election in November.
But the company’s fight against the legislation in court, which began when the company filed a lawsuit to block the law in May, could take years.