Possible TikTok ban in U.S. looms after Biden signs bill, setting up legal fight

TikTok’s chief executive said on Wednesday the social media company expects to win a legal challenge to block legislation signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden that he said would ban its popular short video app used by 170 million Americans.

“Rest assured – we aren’t going anywhere,” CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted moments after Biden signed the bill that gives China-based ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok’s U.S. assets or face a ban. “The facts and the Constitution are on our side and we expect to prevail again.”

Biden’s signing sets a Jan. 19 deadline for a sale – one day before his term is set to expire – but he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines ByteDance is making progress. Biden is seeking a second term against former President Donald Trump.

“We don’t want to see a ban,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. “This is about PRC ownership,” she added, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

In 2020, Trump was blocked by the courts in his bid to ban TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat, a unit of Tencent, in the United States. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has reversed course and said on Monday that Biden was “pushing” for a ban on TikTok and would be the one responsible if a ban were imposed, urging voters to take notice.

“Make no mistake – this is a ban on TikTok,” Chew said, emphasizing that TikTok would continue to operate as the company challenges the restrictions.

Many experts question if any potential buyer has the financial resources to buy TikTok and if China and U.S. government agencies would approve a sale.

Driven by widespread worries among U.S. lawmakers that China could access Americans’ data or surveil them with the app, the bill was