Senate poised to pass bill that could ban TikTok  

The Senate is poised to pass a bill that could lead to a ban on social media app TikTok as part of a broader foreign aid package.

The Senate voted 80-19 to limit debate on the package, which includes provisions that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app and otherwise face banning from U.S. devices and networks. It was approved.

The package passed by the House also includes $95 billion in foreign aid to be distributed to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The TikTok provision faced opposition from both sides of the aisle in the Senate, but its inclusion in the overall package means it will likely end up on the president’s desk. A final vote could take place as early as Tuesday night.

President Biden is expected to sign the foreign aid package if it passes the Senate. He voiced his support for the TikTok ban bill when it was announced in March as the Foreign Adversary Control Applications Act.

The bill included in the package amended the amount of time ByteDance would have to sell TikTok from about six months, as written when the House first passed it in March, to up to a year. The extension allayed the concerns of some critics, including Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

Cantwell and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), a vocal supporter of the bill, told senators on the floor Tuesday to support the bill after a vote to end debate on the package. I called out to them.

Supporters of the bill say the app is necessary to reduce national security risks posed by its China-based parent company. Lawmakers have received a confidential briefing on the risks posed by TikTok.

But Warner also appealed to the general public, especially young people, who make up TikTok’s strong base of loyal supporters.

“Many Americans, especially young Americans, are understandably skeptical. After all, they haven’t seen what Congress has seen. I haven’t.”

“What they’re seeing, beyond even this bill, is Congress’ failure to enact meaningful consumer protections, which they may ironically view as a distraction,” Warner said. added. “I want to say to America’s young people: We hear your concerns,” Warner added.

He said he expects TikTok to continue under new ownership that is not tied to any particular foreign adversary.

Critics of the bill say it raises free speech concerns and addresses broader industry-wide issues around data privacy and the risks social media apps pose by seemingly targeting one company. It claims not to have done so.

The bill would also give the president the power to designate apps controlled by other foreign adversaries with ties to Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

TikTok strongly opposed the bill, repeatedly saying in a statement as it passed Congress that it would “trample on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans” and “destroy 7 million businesses.”

Even if the bill is signed into law, it could face court challenges, as similar initiatives at the federal and state levels have faced in the past, potentially lengthening the timeline.