S. 153: Repeal the TikTok Ban Act

This bill repeals the prohibition on distributing, maintaining, updating, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application (e.g., TikTok) and nullifies any existing designation of a website or application as a foreign adversary controlled application.

Under current law, a foreign adversary controlled application is a website or application directly or indirectly operated by (1) ByteDance, Ltd., TikTok, their subsidiaries, successors, or related entities they control; or (2) a social media company that is controlled by a foreign adversary country and determined by the President to present a significant threat to national security. (Here, the term social media company excludes any website or application primarily used to post product reviews, business reviews, or travel information and reviews. The term foreign adversary country means North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran.)

Current law generally prohibits the distribution, maintenance, implementation of updates, or provision of hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application, unless an approved divestiture transaction results in the application no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary country, among other requirements.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.