TikTok Ban bill passed in the US

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Among a package of military aid bills it passed Tuesday, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that requires TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell the video hosting platform or risk the government banning the app for all U.S. users.

President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Wednesday. If ByteDance refuses to sell TikTok within a year, it will be banned.

Advocates of a ban argue that ByteDance has a record of cooperation with the ruling Chinese Communist Party and fear that the app will provide American users’ data to the Chinese government.

However, TikTok has pushed back on these claims, arguing that it provides a firewall between user data and any outside manipulation.

"This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans," the TikTok Policy account wrote Wednesday in a post on X. "The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation.

"As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired," the post added.

TikTok has launched a political offensive, encouraging its 170 million users to call lawmakers and spending $5 million on TV ads opposing the legislation, according to advertising tracking company AdImpact.

TikTok has targeted young voters -- its primary user base -- with its advertising, raising fears in the Democratic Party that a ban would alienate consistent left-wing voters.

In an interview with Bloomberg News last month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned against support for a TikTok ban.

"The politician in me thinks you’re gonna literally lose every voter under 35, forever," she said.