TikTok Vows to Fight Against New US Law Threatening Ban
TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, has promised to fight against a new law that could potentially ban it in the United States. The app’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, declared in a video on the platform that “we aren’t going anywhere” despite the recent development.
The law, approved by President Joe Biden, states that TikTok will be blocked in the US if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it within nine months. Politicians in the US are concerned that the app could share user data with the Chinese government, despite repeated reassurances from TikTok that it would not.
The bill was passed by the Senate on Tuesday as part of a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel. President Biden signed it into law early Wednesday. In response, TikTok’s CEO quickly released a video on the platform, stating, “Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere. The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again.”
The company also released a statement saying, “This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.” The company’s legal challenge could argue that a ban would violate the First Amendment rights of the app’s 170 million US users.
The law could also face opposition from TikTok creators who rely on the platform for their income. Additionally, China has previously stated that it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok. Currently, the use of TikTok on devices owned by US federal government employees is banned, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research purposes.
Senate commerce committee chair Maria Cantwell stated that the move to force TikTok’s sale is not meant to “punish” ByteDance, TikTok, or other companies. “Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, malign operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our US government personnel,” she said.
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