Members of Congress have once again passed a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok, renewing a major threat to the company’s U.S. operations.
Here’s what we know and how it may affect you.
Didn’t the House vote on something like this recently?
yes. In March, House of Representatives members approved a bill that would give TikTok about six months to sell or ban the app from U.S. app stores and the “internet hosting services” that support them.
What is different about this bill?
TikTok’s deadline will be approximately nine months instead of six, and could be extended by 90 days if President Joe Biden determines that progress has been made toward a sale. Additionally, the bill is now part of a larger foreign aid package, making it extremely difficult for lawmakers to oppose the measure.
Can the Senate vote on a foreign aid package without TikTok language?
Senators could seek to repeal the TikTok bill, but policy analysts say that is unlikely because quickly approving foreign aid is a top priority for Congress.
What does this mean for my app usage?
If the Senate votes to approve the TikTok bill, it could head to the desk of Mr. Biden, who supported a previous version of the bill, to quickly sign a foreign aid package with similar language targeting TikTok.
In theory, this would give TikTok 270 days to find a buyer. If it cannot be separated from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, users could be cut off. But it’s still a big “what if”.
