Washington — Legislation that could lead to a national ban of TikTok cleared the Senate Tuesday night in a bipartisan vote of 79-18, representing one of the most serious threats to the immensely popular social media app’s U.S. operations.
Some lawmakers insist they don’t want to actually ban the platform used by roughly 170 million Americans, arguing the choice lies with TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance.
To keep TikTok up and running in the U.S., ByteDance must sell its stake in TikTok, and it has up to a year to do so, according to the legislation. But the Chinese government, which would have to sign off on any sale, opposes a forced sale. Without a divestiture, the company would lose access to app stores and web-hosting providers, effectively banning it in the U.S. The timeline could be prolonged by an expected legal battle.
“This is not an effort to take your voice away. … …