The U.S. Says Bye-Bye To TikTok, Here’s What’s Happening

The U.S. Says Bye-Bye To TikTok

Hot off the press! President Biden followed the House and the Senate in signing a bill regarding a foreign aid package meant to support the efforts in Ukraine and Israel. Somehow, this also calls for the ban, now law, on TikTok unless they sell to new owners in the next 270 days.

How in the heck did this TikTok ban end up in a bill regarding foreign aid? A previous bill concerning a ban of the social media platform was presented last March but didn't make it past the Senate. Craftily, House Republicans decided to add this portion to the package to make the Senate vote on it because of the immediacy and need for a foreign aid bill. Ah, politics.

TikTok users, as soon as January 19, 2025, TikTok could be blocked if the parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell. Biden can extend this by 90 days if it is apparent the company is making an effort to sell. TikTok's response? Legal. They are threatening to go to court to oppose the law and company CEO Shou Chew took to TikTok to say, “Rest assured: we aren’t going anywhere.” See his full statement:

@tiktoknewsroomResponse to TikTok Ban Bill♬ original sound - TikTok Newsroom

TikTok states that they have 170 million US users and 7 million US businesses that use the platform. Currently, there are no plans to change the platform or access in any way, and influencers are taking to the platform to protest this legislation. Figures that with all the issues in the world, the only thing old politicians can agree on is restricting the platform.

Last month we reported that Tiktok maintains that the bill violates the free speech rights of American citizens. They also claim that the US will be restricting a safe space for people from all walks of life to share concepts and ideas. It also is a free marketing tool for businesses. The US stands behind its claim that the homeland of TikTok, China, would be capturing our data and violating foreign data-sharing policies. Some legal experts claim that the courts would likely consider this a violation of Free Speech. Such court proceedings could delay any ban up to several years.

@tiktoknewsroomThe results are clear: TikTok is driving commerce everywhere — online, in-store, and on TikTok itself #Commerce #Advertising

♬ original sound - TikTok Newsroom

There's another layer to this as well. Let's say ByteDance wants to sell, that company is still subject to Chinese government jurisdiction. The Chinese government has stated it would not allow such a sale because it would be relinquishing the unique algorithm that TikTok maintains. TikTok without its algorithm would be like selling a car without an engine. What a mess!

Would a ban on TikTok affect you greatly? Let us know!

Have any gay news to report?

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.