Biden signs bill that will block TikTok unless ByteDance sells the app

President Biden has signed a bill that will block TikTok if its owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell it inside a yr. The bill includes aid for Ukraine and Israel. U.S. senators passed the bill 79-18 late Tuesday night, after the House overwhelmingly passed it over the weekend.

The bill gives ByteDance nine months to divest TikTok with a 90-day extension to finish the transaction.

In an announcement emailed to TechCrunch, TikTok said it could challenge the “unconstitutional law” in court.

“We believe that the facts and the law are clearly on our side and that we will ultimately prevail,” the statement read. “The fact is that we have invested billions of dollars to protect data in the US and to protect our platform from external influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate 7 million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.”

“As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue to invest and innovate to ensure that TikTok remains a space where Americans of all backgrounds can safely come to share their experiences, find joy and be inspired.”

In March, the House passed an identical separate bill banning TikTok or forcing its sale inside a six-month deadline, but the Senate never took up the bill. This time, the House linked the TikTok bill to foreign aid for U.S. allies, essentially forcing the Senate to make a choice.