TikTok, the hugely popular short-form video app, is currently embroiled in multiple big controversies. On the one hand, there's the ongoing battle with Universal Music Group, which pulled thousands of songs from the platform after negotiations over a new licensing agreement broke down. And on the other, there's a disagreement with that pesky little organization called the United States government.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden officially signed a bill that will ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app within nine months. The deadline is currently set at January 19, 2025, although the president could extend that by three more months if the company has made progress towards a sale by that point.
President Joe Biden officially signed a bill that will ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app within nine months
The Senate approved the bill 78 to 18 on Tuesday. The measure was included as part a wide-ranging package offering foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, which fast-tracked the voting process after a similar bill stalled in the Senate in March.
Lawmakers fear that TikTok represents a potential national security risk due to the possibility that the Chinese government could access sensitive data from over 170 million American users — or even suppress, boost, or influence content to serve Chinese national interests.
TikTok has repeatedly denied claims that it may share data or be used as an espionage tool by the Chinese government, and the company has promised to challenge the new law in court.
In a statement to The New York Times, a TikTok spokesman said the new bill "was crafted in secret, rushed through the House and ultimately passed as part of a larger, must-pass bill exactly because it is a ban that Americans will find objectionable."
He added it was "sadly ironic that Congress would pass a law trampling 170 million Americans’ right to free expression as part of a package they say is aimed at advancing freedom around the world."
"Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted to TikTok on Wednesday. "We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail."
TikTok has repeatedly denied claims that it may share data or be used as an espionage tool by the Chinese government.
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The expected legal challenges ahead mean that the nine months TikTok has been given could theoretically stretch out into years.
Even if a ban does go into effect, the app probably won't disappear from your phone immediately. But it will be removed from Apple and Google's app stores, stopping new users from downloading it and preventing the company from sending necessary updates, security patches, and bug fixes.
India previously banned TikTok in 2021, forcing the country's 200 million users to move their short-form video content over to YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels. Taiwan and Afghanistan followed suit a year later.
UMG and Spotify announced "an expansion of their strategic relationship."
TikTok has become a leading driver of music discovery in recent years, launching the careers of artists who go viral and reviving interest in older acts.
But the music industry has already started distancing itself from TikTok. After Universal pulled most of its artists' music from the platform — Taylor Swift very much excluded — several other major publishing groups also decided not to renew their licenses.
Meanwhile, UMG has announced "an expansion of their strategic relationship" with Spotify.
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