In a significant move, the House voted on Wednesday to approve legislation that could lead to the ban of TikTok in the United States unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells its stake in the popular social media platform, which is headquartered in Beijing.
The bipartisan bill, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, received broad support with 352 members voting in favor and 65 opposed. Notably, 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats voted for the bill, while 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted against it, with one Democrat voting “present.”
The House fast-tracked the legislation, requiring the support of two-thirds of its members for passage. Now, the bill moves to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York did not commit to scheduling a vote, stating that the Senate “will review the legislation when it comes over from the House.”
President Biden has pledged to sign the bill into law, which mandates ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok within six months. Failure to comply could result in the app’s removal from U.S. app stores and web-hosting services.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to the bill’s passage, expressing concern about the potential ban. “This legislation, if signed into law, will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States,” Chew stated in a social media video. “Even the bill’s sponsors admit that that’s their goal.”
The bill’s supporters argue that it addresses national security concerns, fearing that the Chinese government could access data from TikTok’s 170 million American users. FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized the risk during a House Intelligence Committee meeting, warning that Chinese national security laws could compromise Americans’ devices through the app.
Despite TikTok’s denial of such claims, the bill’s passage marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over the platform’s operations in the U.S. The legislation’s impact on TikTok’s future remains uncertain as it heads to the Senate, where it may encounter challenges similar to previous attempts to regulate the platform.
