The TikTok ban just got closer – here's what the new US law means and what happens next

TikTok now faces the very real threat of being banned in the US unless the app is sold by its owner ByteDance, after President Biden signed a new bill into law that has set the clock ticking.

The bill, which gives ByteDance nine months to divest the app or see it blocked in the US, passed through the Senate on Tuesday April 23 and was signed by President Biden on April 24.

Why is this happening? The US government, including the current Biden administration, has investigated TikTok and its relationship with its China-based parent company for several years now. The main accusation is that TikTok collects and stores the data of American users, something the app has always denied.

TikTok has now released a statement in response to the ban. It calls the law "unconstitutional" and in a separate TikTok video boldly promises "rest assured, we aren ...