‘Nobody wants to lose the app’
The bill, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was overwhelmingly passed in the House on March 13, with a vote of 352 in favor and only 65 against, showcasing strong bipartisan support for the initiative.
The legislation now heads to the Senate. President Joe Biden has previously said that he would sign the bill into law if it reached his desk.
If the bill is enacted, it would give TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, about six months to divest the U.S. assets of the video-sharing app or face a nationwide ban.
ByteDance publicly criticized the bill. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the company wrote, “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
O'Leary proposed a middle ground: keep TikTok running while permitting a small ownership stake for the Chinese.
“I would ask permission to leave 20, 30% with the Chinese people, because they'll have a non-control, passive position,” he said. “They will not control the board. They will have no say in how we operate the company, and therefore will resolve this issue around free speech. Nobody wants to lose the app.”
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What happens next with TikTok?
As it currently stands, Americans who regularly interact with the video-sharing platform can breathe a sigh of relief: it’s not going anywhere at the moment.
The legislative process is still in its earliest stages. The next steps will entail a full review by the Senate (who will likely make changes to the text) and then an official signing into law by President Biden.
One of the main areas of concern over a total ban is that it could be deemed a violation of parts of the Constitution that prevents Congress from taking aim at entities with legislation.
If the ban is ultimately enacted, and Biden signs it into law, ByteDance still has six months to find a buyer that satisfies the U.S. government.
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