Major changes could be in the cards for TikTok. President Biden on Wednesday signed into law a $95 billion plan that delivers aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and also mandates that TikTok owner ByteDance must sell the hugely popular app or else it will be banned in the US.
ByteDance is now on the clock and has nine months to divest from its US subsidiary (with a further three-month extension if a deal is in the works but not yet completed). As such, any potential ban wouldn’t happen soon, and that’s to say nothing of any legal battles that could extend the timeline or lead to any other changes.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted on TikTok (via THR), “Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere.” Chew aded, “Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice. Politicians may say otherwise. But don’t get confused.”