TikTok bosses hit back after President Joe Biden signs bill to ban it

TikTok bosses have hit back after American President Joe Biden signed a bill for the social media platform to be banned in the country if it is not sold within the next nine months.

Basically he made it law that TikTok's parent company ByteDance must sell the social media platform by then or else it will be banned; the bill was passed by the US Senate and Biden signed it on April 24.

Access to TikTok in America will remain unchanged until then.

A reportedly leaked internal memo revealed ByteDance plans to file a lawsuit which could put a pause on that nine month timeframe while proceedings are active.

A statement shared on X / Twitter immediately after the announcement confirmed TikTok would fight back.

The statement said: "This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side and we will ultimately prevail.

"The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep US data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation.

"This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans.

"As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired."

A video of TikTok's CEO Shou Chew speaking about the upcoming ban was also posted.

He said: "Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice.

"Politicians may say otherwise but don't get confused - many who sponsored the bill admit a TikTok ban is their ultimate goal.

"It's obviously a disappointing moment but it does not need to be a defining one.

"Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere."

During a press event after Biden signed the bill, when asked specifically about the potential TikTok ban, he ignored it after saying he was late for a speech at a hotel.

The US government has tried several times to stop ByteDance from having access to the data of American citizens due to data privacy concerns and the company's reported connection to the Chinese Communist Party.

Biden also signed into law measures to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan after months of political standoffs.

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