Senate passes bill forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US ops or face ban

The US Senate voted late Tuesday by a wide margin to send legislation to President Joe Biden that would require Chinese owner ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations within about nine months or face a ban.

The measure, passed by the US House of Representatives on Saturday, has been driven by concerns that China could access Americans’ data or surveil them with the app. Biden said he would sign it into law on Wednesday.

“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously shortsighted,” said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.