TikTok CEO Says ‘We Aren’t Going Anywhere’ After Biden Signs Potential Ban Into Law

"We will keep fighting for your rights in the courts," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a statement on Wednesday, April 24

• TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew vowed to fight legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S.

• The legislation, which was signed by President Joe Biden on April 24, gives China-based ByteDance 270 days to divest Tiktok's U.S. assets — or face a ban

• "It's obviously a disappointing moment, but it does not need to be a defining one," Chew said
  

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said the app isn't "going anywhere" as President Joe Biden signed legislation that threatens to ban the platform if it isn't sold quickly.

“Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice,” Chew said in a video posted on TikTok Wednesday, April 24. “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," Chew added.

The measure was part of a $95 million foreign aid package meant to support Israel and Ukraine, and was passed overwhelmingly by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.

The new legislation also gives China-based ByteDance 270 days to find new owners before it would face being wiped from Apple and Google app stores in the United States. An additional three-month extension is also on the table should a sale be in progress by the time the deadline rolls around, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Related: Teen Who Suffered Concussion in TikTok 'Skullbreaker Challenge' Now Works to Make Social Media Safer

There has been talk of banning TikTok since it surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump first announced his plan to ban the platform from operating in the U.S. in April 2020, an attempt that was later paused by Biden's administration in February 2021. Today, 170 million Americans use the app, per Reuters.

The looming ban comes amid growing security concerns that China could use the app as a surveillance tool on American citizens and as a way to access information or data on them without their knowledge.

Related: TikTok Video Resumes May Be the Next Big Thing in the Job Market — But the Trend Raises Concerns

"We are giving people a choice here: To improve this platform and have the opportunity for Americans to make sure that they are not being maligned by our foreign adversaries," said Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, according to USA Today.

TikTok has denied that information on the app would be shared with the Chinese government, and the Chinese foreign ministry also argued that “the U.S. has never found any evidence of TikTok posing a threat to the U.S.'s national security,” per Reuters.

Related: Mom Sues TikTok After Daughter, 10, Died Attempting Dangerous 'Blackout Challenge'

TikTok will likely combat the legislation on the grounds of freedom of speech, as a memo sent out company-wide by a TikTok executive warned that this was the “beginning, not the end” of their fight to continue business, according to CNN.

"We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts," the company's CEO said in his video response to the ban. "The facts and the U.S. Constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail again."

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