The US Senate has approved a bill that could see TikTok banned in America over national security fears.
It gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States.
The bill will now be handed over to US President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it into law, as soon as it reaches his desk.
Previously, Bytedance said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok.
If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok, any deal would still need approval from Chinese officials – but China has vowed to oppose any such move.
It could take several years before the app is blocked in the US, as legal action from ByteDance, likely all the way to the Supreme Court, would delay the process.
The legislation then allows the company nine months to sell TikTok, with an additional three-month grace period.
There is also the matter of who would be able to buy and operate it – the price would likely be in the tens of billions – meaning there would be few potential buyers.
