Biden signs TikTok ban bill into law

Aisha Malik — TechCrunch “President Biden has signed a bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year. The bill, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel, was passed by the U.S. Senate in a 79–18 vote late Tuesday after the House passed it with overwhelming majority over the weekend. The bill gives ByteDance nine months to divest TikTok, with a 90-day extension available to complete a deal. If ByteDance doesn’t sell TikTok, it would become illegal for app stores to distribute the app in the U.S.”

M.G. Siegler — Spyglass.org “The Chilling of TikTok Of course it won’t play out this way. First and foremost, there will be lawsuits. Second, a change of control in Washington may happen before a change of control of TikTok. Third, none of this may matter anyway. By passing this bill, Congress has draped the service in a scarlet letter. And damned it to be bogged down in bureaucracy for its remaining days. Regardless of the merits of this action — I happen to agree with the sale/ban, not because of the fear of data or overt propaganda, but the more subtle subversion where what is simply omitted from feeds sways the masses — I don’t believe it will ultimately matter what happens in the end. TikTok’s model is predicated around advertising and again, this mark and even just the uncertainty is going to make that a very big challenge going forward. The audience is massive and the demographic is key, but how is, say, McDonalds going to feel about advertising on a platform that the government has effectively deemed an enemy of the state? […] But again, this feels like the end of TikTok regardless. Unless a white knight comes riding in quickly — and it sure doesn’t sound like China is going to allow that to happen — the die is cast. The sale or ban may ultimately be put on ice. The chilling effect will linger.”

I have expressed my opinion on the ban here Update: TikTok: It’s ‘a weapon of war’ and here TikTok: It’s ‘a weapon of war’.

I feel bad for the folks who have built their livelihood on TikTok The hard lesson that TikTok creators may have to learn.

Originally published at https://ldstephens.me on April 24, 2024.