President Biden Signs Legislation Banning TikTok

TikTok, the clock is ticking on the popular social media app’s existence in the United States. President Joe Biden signed a bill on Wednesday approving the ban of TikTok, adding significant pressure on the platform to find a new owner. The legislation, part of a broader foreign aid package supporting Israel and Ukraine, passed the House with a decisive 352-65 vote last week and received Senate approval on Tuesday. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is the most severe threat to TikTok since U.S. officials first raised concerns in 2020. Under the new law, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has 270 days to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese entity. Failure to comply would result in TikTok’s removal from U.S. app stores and restrictions on “internet hosting services” supporting the platform, limiting its accessibility to new users and interactions with its content. Biden set the sale deadline for January 19, 2025, with an option to extend it by another 90 days if progress is made toward a sale.& This& could grant TikTok up to a year before facing a ban. TikTok CEO Shou Chew responded defiantly to the legislation, assuring users in a video message, “Rest assured: we...