A contentious landmark law that might see TikTok banned in the US has been approved by the US Senate.

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has nine months to sell its interest in the app or risk having it blocked in the US.

The US President Joe Biden will now take the bill, and he has stated that he will sign it into law as soon as it hits his desk.

The BBC has been informed by ByteDance that they will not be responding to the move right away. The company had previously declared that it will fight any attempt to make it sell TikTok.

If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok any deal would still need approval from Chinese officials but Beijing has vowed to oppose any such move. Analysts say the process could take years.

The measure was passed as part of a package of four bills which also included military aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo- Pacific.

It got widespread support from lawmakers with 79 Senators voting for it and 18 voting against it.

"For years we've allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously short-sighted," said Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

"A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America," he added.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

Last week, the social media company said the bill would "trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually."

TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, said last month the company will continue to do all it can including exercising its "legal rights" to protect the platform.

University of Richmond law professor, Carl Tobias told the BBC that a prolonged legal battle is likely to follow and that "could take about two years".

He also said if a buyer for ByteDance's stake is not found within the nine-month period, it could delay any action against TikTok in the US further.

Fears that data about millions of Americans could land in China's hands have driven Congressional efforts to split TikTok from the Beijing-based company.

TikTok has said ByteDance "is not an agent of China or any other country". And ByteDance insists it is not a Chinese firm, pointing to the global investment firms that own 60% of it.