On Wednesday (24th) local time, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a TikTok-related bill, requiring Chinese technology company ByteDance to divest its app TikTok U.S. business within the next 9 months to 1 year, otherwise the app will face a national ban in the United States.
According to Reuters and NBC, shortly after Biden signed the bill, TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi responded via video. He reiterated that TikTok will not leave the United States and that the company will resort to legal means to fight back.
'It's obviously a disappointing moment, but it's not necessarily a decisive moment. He said, "Rest assured, we're not going anywhere." The facts and the constitution are on our side, and we look forward to another victory. ”
At the same time, TikTok also issued a statement stating that the unconstitutional bill is a "TikTok ban" and that the company will "challenge" it in court on First Amendment grounds.
According to U.S. media reports, on Wednesday local time, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he had signed a package of foreign aid bills worth $95 billion. The bill also bundles TikTok-related bills that would force ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations within a deadline or the app will be banned from listing in the U.S.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill involving TikTok, extending the deadline for divesting TikTok from 165 days to 270 days, the day before Biden's current term expires, on January 19 next year. In addition, if Biden determines that progress has been made on the sale, he can also exercise a 90-day extension power, which extends the maximum period for ByteDance to divest TikTok to one year.
In his speech, Biden said that the bill went through many challenges and difficulties before it became law, and that the process should have gone more smoothly and that the bill should have reached his desk sooner. In the end, however, both parties overcame the odds and succeeded in passing the bill.
TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi responded to the release of the video, saying, "There is no doubt that this is a ban. Banning TikTok also bans you and your voice", "Politicians may say otherwise, but don't doubt it, many of those who support the bill have already admitted that banning Tiktok is the ultimate goal".
He further stated, "This is obviously a disappointing moment, but it is not necessarily a decisive moment, which is actually an irony because free speech on TikTok reflects precisely the same values that have made America a beacon of freedom." TikTok provides a powerful way for ordinary Americans to be seen and heard. ”
Zhou stressed that TikTok will not leave the United States and will continue to operate, and the company is ready to resort to legal action and achieve a final victory.
"Rest assured, we're not going anywhere. We are confident that we will continue to fight for your rights in court, with the facts and the Constitution on our side, and we look forward to winning again. He added, "When we present our case in court, you can still enjoy TikTok as you normally would." If you have a story about how TikTok has impacted your life, please let us know. ”
The video garnered about 176,000 likes an hour after it was released, NBC said.
TikTok's official account "TikTok Policy" also issued a statement on the X social media platform at the same time, vowing to fight back through legal channels. The company said the unconstitutional law is a ban on TikTok and that the company will challenge it in court, "We believe that the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately win." In fact, we've invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform safe from external influences and manipulation. ”
"This ban will destroy 7 million businesses in the U.S. and silence 170 million Americans," the statement added. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue to invest and innovate to ensure that TikTok remains a space where Americans from all walks of life can safely share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired. ”
According to CNN, TikTok is likely to oppose the legislation on First Amendment grounds. On Saturday, a TikTok executive said in a company-wide memo that it would be a long process and that it would be "the beginning, not the end" of their continued business, the report said. Reuters also mentioned that TikTok users are also expected to take legal action again.
NBC added that TikTok has won multiple court victories in the past.
As early as 2020, then-US President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States, but was finally stopped by a federal judge on the grounds that his order was "arbitrary and capricious", and in November last year, Montana was brewing a statewide ban on TikTok, becoming the first statewide attempt to ban TikTok in the United States, which was also rejected by a federal judge on the grounds that the law "oversteps state authority and violates users' constitutional rights".
CNN, citing some legal experts who study the First Amendment in the United States, reported that TikTok could file a lawsuit over the First Amendment. They argue that courts tend to consider the ultimate impact of the challenged law on Americans' speech, not just its purported intent.
According to Reuters, some experts said that if ByteDance fails to divest TikTok's U.S. business, the new legislation may give the Biden administration a stronger legal basis to ban TikTok. App stores operated by Apple, Alphabet, Google, and others will not be able to legally offer TikTok program services and will not be able to provide web hosting services for their websites.
In addition, the bill would provide the White House with "new tools" to ban or force the sale of any other foreign-owned apps it deems a security threat. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said he was concerned that the bill "provides broad powers that could be abused by future administrations to infringe on the First Amendment rights of the American people." ”
However, despite Biden's signing of the bill, an official from his campaign said Wednesday that Biden's re-election campaign plans to continue using TikTok for campaign propaganda.
Source: Observer.com