President Joe Biden has signed a bill that could potentially ban TikTok, but here’s the catch: it won’t happen until after the 2024 election. The legislation gives TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, nine to twelve months to sell the popular video-sharing app or face a nationwide prohibition in the United States. However, there is a possibility for a one-time extension of 90 days if there is significant progress towards divestiture.
This means that TikTok, which currently has 170 million American users, will remain active throughout the fall campaign and continue to provide a platform for candidates to connect with younger voters. Previously, there was the potential for a ban before the 2024 election, but recent changes to the bill have eliminated that immediate threat.
The decision to delay the ban was influenced by Senate Democrats who wanted to extend the timeline. By pushing the ban to 2025, and even potentially longer with legal battles, Democrats believed they conveniently addressed the issue in relation to the election. However, some Democrats are assuring voters that ByteDance would prefer to sell TikTok rather than risk a ban in the United States.
Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee who is facing re-election this fall, expressed confidence that TikTok will remain accessible to its users. He stated that there is no more capitalistic entity than an organization controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, emphasizing that they will sell TikTok to keep it in operation. Kaine believes that young people will still have TikTok, but the only difference is that it will be American-owned.
Despite the bill being signed into law, there are still several factors that will determine the fate of TikTok. With the possibility of legal action and potential extensions, the ban may not take effect until January 2025 or even April. It is a shift from an earlier version of the bill that could have triggered a ban before the November election. For now, TikTok remains an influential platform for both users and political candidates alike.
We will keep you updated as this story develops, on Fan Reviews News.
