The United States Senate approved a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit the video-sharing app TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The legislation, which is part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel, provides ByteDance with a nine-month window to divest from TikTok. The Senate voted 79-18 in favor of the package, while the House of Representatives had previously approved it in a 360-58 bipartisan vote on Saturday. This move comes after Congress reauthorized a controversial program that enables the surveillance of US citizens’ communications without a judicial warrant. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that TikTok poses a national security threat, alleging that Beijing could use the platform to “spy” on Americans and “manipulate” public discourse. However, TikTok has strongly refuted these claims. In a statement released on Sunday, TikTok denounced the bill, asserting that it would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans.” The company has indicated that it may pursue a preliminary injunction to block the law from taking effect while it challenges its constitutionality. Last year, a federal judge in Montana blocked a similar ban, ruling that it exceeded state authority and likely violated the First Amendment. Civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, have also condemned the bill on grounds of free speech. A similar measure compelling the sale of TikTok passed the House last month but stalled in the Senate. If President Biden signs the bill into law, it is expected to face legal challenges.
US Senate Approves Bill to Ban TikTok Over National Security Concerns
