TikTok’s CEO stated on Wednesday that the company expects to win a legal challenge to block the legislation enacted by President Joe Biden that would ban the popular short-video app used by more than 170 million Americans.
“We are not going anywhere,” said Shou Zi Chew in a video posted moments after Biden signed the bill giving ByteDance, based in China, 270 days to divest its U.S. TikTok assets or face a ban. “Facts and the Constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail again.” he said.
What’s happening with TikTok in the United States?
The signing of the new law by U.S. President Joe Biden sets January 19 as the deadline for a potential sale (one day before his term expires). However, this deadline could be extended by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress, although it all depends on the continuity of the president.
It’s worth noting that Biden is seeking a second term against former President Donald Trump in the elections to be held in November. In 2020, courts blocked Trump’s attempt to ban TikTok and WeChat, a Chinese-owned unit of Tencent, in the United States.
Chew was decisive in the rest of his message after the news broke. “Make no mistake. This is a TikTok ban.” Additionally, the entrepreneur emphasized that TikTok would continue operating while the company appeals the restrictions and faces them in court.
Driven by widespread concerns among U.S. lawmakers that China could access Americans’ data or spy on them through the app, the bill overwhelmingly passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. The U.S. House of Representatives had given its approval on Saturday.
The four-year battle over TikTok is a significant front in a war over the internet and technology between Washington and Beijing. Last week, Apple said China had ordered it to remove Meta Platforms, WhatsApp, and Threads from its App Store in China over national security concerns.
Now, TikTok is poised to challenge the bill on First Amendment grounds, and it is also expected that app users will again take legal action. In November, a U.S. judge in Montana blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing freedom of expression reasons.
This story was written in spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva
