Biden Signs TikTok 'Ban or Sell' Bill; In Win For Pro-Israel Activists

President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill which gives ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, nine months to divest the app or it will be blocked in the US. The measure was passed as part of a package of four bills which also included controversial military aids for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The so-called 'ban-or-sell' bill was introduced because of concerns over Chinese companies' relationships with the communist regime with which they routinely share user data.

"We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts," said TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew. "The facts, and the Constitution, are on our side... rest assured, we aren't going anywhere."

In a video posted on the platform, he called for people to share their stories of how TikTok had improved their lives. "Make no mistake, this is a ban -- a ban on TikTok, and a ban on you, and your voice," he said.

Critics are divided on the law. While some point out TikTok's hypocrisy over its claim to fight for free speech while aggressively censoring conservatives on the platform. Others slam Biden administration and pro-Israel activists at the ADL for pushing the law only after pro-Palestinian users started gaining traction on the platform, amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

On the European front, the company has agreed to suspend its TikTok Lite rewards programme, which pays users to spend time on the app in France and Spain.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton said the feature was "toxic and addictive", particularly when used by children, and threatened to block it unless action was taken.