Questions swirl over the future of TikTok. Who could own it? How will the platform operate?

TikTok on Wednesday faced a formidable threat to its business, with a new law signed by President Biden that could dramatically change the way the popular video app operates.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has faced scrutiny from U.S. government officials over how it handles the data of its U.S. users and its ties to China. The new law would require ByteDance, a tech company founded in China in 2012, to sell TikTok or the app will be banned in the U.S.

In a statement, TikTok said it has invested billions of dollars to keep the data of its U.S. users and a ban would “devastate seven million business and silence 170 million Americans.”

The social media app, which has a large presence in Culver City, is a key platform for influencers, musicians and Hollywood talent.

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

Now that Congress has voted to ban TikTok, how soon could a sale occur?

The new law requires ByteDance to sell TikTok in 180 days to reduce its Chinese investment or face a ban in the U.S. If the Biden administration grants an extension, ByteDance could have a year to sell the U.S. operations of TikTok.

This isn’t the first time the app has faced such a threat. The company confronted a similar fate four years ago when the Trump administration banned it in the U.S.

TikTok sued the federal government, arguing that a ban would violate free speech. Ultimately, the order was blocked by two federal courts, which ruled the administration had exceeded its authority.

“It’s obviously a disappointing moment, but it does not need to be a defining one,” TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew said in a video posted on X on Wednesday. “It’s actually ironic because the freedom of expression on TikTok reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom.”

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