San Francisco:
TikTok's CEO vowed Wednesday to fight in court to overturn a newly signed US law that could ban the popular app over allegations that it is controlled by the Chinese government.
The legislation gives TikTok nine months to divest its Chinese parent company ByteDance, otherwise it will be shut out of the US market.
US and other Western officials claim the social media platform allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. In the United States alone, it has 170 million users, many of whom are young.
Critics say TikTok is also a channel to spread propaganda. China and the company strongly deny the claims.
“Make no mistake, this is a ban. A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted to TikTok shortly after President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.
“Politicians may say something different, but don't get confused. Many who sponsored the bill admit that a Tiktok ban is the ultimate goal.”
Chew called the move “ironic” as TikTok's “freedom of speech reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom.”
“Rest assured, we're not going anywhere,” Chew told the platform's users.
“We will continue to fight for your rights in the courts. The facts and the Constitution are on our side.”
The ban was included in a $95 billion foreign aid package, including military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The bill, which could lead to the rare step of banning a company from operating in the U.S. market, was approved by the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support on a 79-18 vote three days after the House of Representatives Senate passed.
Under the bill, ByteDance would have to sell the app or it would be banned from Apple and Google's app stores in the United States.
TikTok has been in the crosshairs of US authorities for years, who say the platform allows Beijing to spy on users in the United States.
The bill passed by Congress also gives the US president the authority to designate other applications as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country deemed hostile.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)