President Joe Biden signed a invoice into legislation on Wednesday that might, successfully, ban TikTok within the U.S. However that does not imply you will be with out the app proper now or, actually, anytime quickly.

Like several invoice, issues are difficult. The invoice Biden signed is primarily a international help bundle that’ll ship $60 billion to Ukraine to combat Russia’s invasion and a few $26 billion to each Israel and reduction in Gaza. Nonetheless, tied to that invoice was laws that gave ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese language father or mother firm, as much as one yr to divest itself from the app within the U.S.

Principally, it is a demand to promote or be banned.

So, what occurs now? Nicely, briefly, a authorized combat. TikTok indicated Wednesday, just about straight away, that it meant to battle the laws in courtroom.

“Make no mistake, it is a ban,” TikTok CEO Shou Chew stated in a video posted to the corporate’s platform on Tuesday.

Chew promised a combat. And, to be clear, there will not be any actual adjustments for TikTok customers within the rapid time period.

“Relaxation assured, we aren’t going anyplace,” Chew stated within the TikTok. “We’re assured and we’ll maintain preventing to your rights within the courts. The info and the Structure are on our aspect, and we count on to prevail once more.”

The lawmakers in opposition to TikTok have argued that, because the app is owned by a Chinese language firm, it may very well be compelled handy over American customers’ information to the Chinese language authorities. That may be worrisome, contemplating there are 170 million American customers on the app. Different lawmakers in different nations have efficiently made related arguments to ban or limit the app.

TikTok has flatly and routinely denied that it shares U.S. customers’ information with the Chinese language authorities.

TikTok has fended off bans within the courts earlier than, notably in Montana final yr.

“This unconstitutional legislation is a TikTok ban, and we’ll problem it in courtroom,” TikTok stated in an announcement Wednesday after Biden signed the invoice. “We consider the info and the legislation are clearly on our aspect, and we’ll in the end prevail. The actual fact is, we’ve got invested billions of {dollars} to maintain U.S. information protected and our platform free from exterior affect and manipulation.”

So what comes subsequent?

Nicely, as The Verge famous, if TikTok will get a courtroom to agree with the corporate or delay enforcement of the laws, then the timeline for a ban would get prolonged. In different phrases, as taking one thing to courtroom is wont to do, TikTok may drag issues out.

And, after all, even when the laws is upheld, ByteDance has, at minimal, 9 months to resolve if it would promote the app within the U.S. The timeline could be prolonged out to a yr if the president feels there’s progress on a deal.

The subsequent yr for TikTok within the U.S. might be rife with legal professionals and legal guidelines and a PR push. Maybe the most important instrument on the firm’s disposal is its huge consumer base. Keep in mind when it despatched a pop-up asking customers to name lawmakers, then Congress was inundated with calls? You’ll be able to count on extra messaging from the corporate because it fights to remain within the U.S.

However so far as a daily consumer goes, the subsequent yr of TikTok would possibly appear like, nicely, the final yr on TikTok. For now, issues will stay as they have been. You will see movies of individuals dancing, cute canines, good meals, music, jokes, the entire 9.

However the combat for the long-term survival of the app will grasp over all of it.