The House has now passed a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban in the near future.
On Wednesday, the bill passed with a 352-65 vote. Under this new measure, the video-sharing app could be terminated in the United States if the current owner of the app, ByteDance, does not sell it. For years, the U.S. has accused the parent company of being in cahoots with the Chinese government to potentially access data from TikTok users. ByteDance has also been accused of censoring content that criticizes the Chinese government.
Now that the House has decided, the Senate will have the final say, though there is still time for ByteDance to keep the app operating in the U.S.
“We have given TikTok a clear choice. Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok’s,” explained Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.
President Joe Biden has also expressed support for the bill. Just days ago, he confirmed he would sign it if the TikTok ban were passed. Senate lawmakers have also stated that they would conduct a thorough review to plan the next course of action. Still, there has been some pushback, with some Democrats expressing concern over the potential ban negatively impacting content creators and business owners.
As of now, there is no clear timeline for when the Senate is expected to make its decision on the matter.
