WASHINGTON DC, Thursday, March 14, 2024 – The House on Wednesday passed a bill that could lead to a US wide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner, ByteDance Ltd., doesn’t divest its stake in the company.
US Lawmakers cited national security concerns as the reason for the legislation. 1
The bill passed by a 352-65 vote now heads to the Senate, where its future is unclear.
TikTok has long denied being a tool of the Chinese government and maintains it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities. The US government has also not provided evidence to the contrary.
This leaves ByteDance, the app’s Chinese owner, to either sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. US claims its national Security at risk with its 170 million American users.
The bill proposes a stark choice for ByteDance. If they choose to divest, the company would need to find a buyer and undergo a presidential review process to ensure the platform is no longer under the control of a foreign adversary.
Additionally, they would have to relinquish control over the algorithm that personalizes user content.
Experts believe selling the app within the proposed timeframe would be a significant challenge for ByteDance. On the other hand, if ByteDance doesn’t divest, the bill would ban TikTok from app stores and web-hosting services.
However, some Democrats, including Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), expressed concerns that the national security risks apply to all social media platforms, not just TikTok.
The proposed ban has drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.
Former Vice President Mike Pence urged the Senate to pass the bill, while TikTok influencers lobbied against it on Capitol Hill.
- Apnews: https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-house-vote-china-national-security-8fa7258fae1a4902d344c9d978d58a37[↩]
