United States Warns "TikTok": Cut Ties with China or Face a Ban

On Tuesday, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring the popular social media platform "TikTok" to sever its ties with its parent company "ByteDance" and, more broadly, with China if it wishes to avoid a potential ban in the United States. President Joe Biden immediately announced that he would sign the document, which had been approved by the House of Representatives a few days earlier. This warning from U.S. lawmakers to the widely used social media network is part of a broader package of texts that includes assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The Democratic president, who is running for re-election in the November polls, expressed his "concern" regarding "TikTok" during a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping in early April. The famous social media network protested immediately after the House vote on Saturday, arguing that a ban on "TikTok" would "constitute a violation of free speech" for 170 million Americans. If the law comes into effect, "ByteDance," TikTok's Chinese parent company, will be required to sell the app within 12 months; otherwise, it will be removed from "Apple" and "Google" stores in the U.S. However, the potential ban could face legal challenges.