President Joe Biden signed a bill Wednesday that is likely to result in a nationwide ban of TikTok.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of the bill, which will require the company to part with its parent company, ByteDance, within a year or risk becoming illegal in the U.S.
The president’s signing of the bill is a veritable death sentence for the app, as ByteDance has made no indication it intends to part with its social network baby. Now, the company has 270 days, or roughly nine months, to change its position, a deadline which Biden can extend by 90 days if he so chooses.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bill was folded into a $95 billion aid package that will provide support to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, for the purpose of fast-tracking the bill to gain Senate approval.
On Wednesday, TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew took to the app and posted a video to assuage users' fears in the face of this “disappointing moment.”
“Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere,” he said. “We are confident that we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts, and the constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail again.”
Chew called the ban “ironic,” saying the freedom of expression on TikTok “reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom.”
During an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, FBI Director Christopher Wray described TikTok as a “national security concern,” saying ByteDance is “beholden to the Chinese government,” which is “attempting to steal our AI and hack American technology every day.”
