The House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.

The bill would give the social media giant’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app will be blocked in the US.

While the bill passed overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote, it still needs to clear the Senate and be signed by the president to become law.

Lawmakers have long held concerns about China’s influence over TikTok.

TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which is subject to a national security law requiring it to share data with Chinese officials.

Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who co-authored the bill, said the US could not “take the risk of having a dominant news platform in America controlled or owned by a company that is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party”.

TikTok has tried to reassure regulators that it has taken steps to ensure the data of its 150 million users in the US has been walled off from ByteDance employees in China.

However, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal in January found the system was still “porous”, with data being unofficially shared between TikTok in the US and ByteDance in China. High-profile cases, including one incident where ByteDance employees in China accessed a journalist’s data to track down their sources, have stoked concerns.

After the vote on March 13, a spokesperson for the company accused lawmakers of jamming through a “ban” following what they called a “secret” process.

Image by krittiyanee thumjaikul from Pixabay

Speaking ahead of the vote, Hakeem Jeffries – the top Democrat in the House – welcomed the bill, saying it would decrease “the likelihood that TikTok user data is exploited and privacy undermined by a hostile foreign adversary”.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber would now review the legislation.

Its prospects in the upper chamber of Congress are unclear in the wake of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump speaking out against the bill.

Donald Trump, who tried to ban the app during his term in office, changed his position after a recent meeting with Republican donor Jeff Yass, who reportedly owns a minor stake in ByteDance.

Trump’s opposition was echoed by some House members on March 13. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on social media that the bill could allow Congress to force the sale of other corporations by claiming to be protecting US data from foreign adversaries.

Some Democrats are also opposed to a ban, fearing it could alienate the app’s youthful userbase as the party struggles to retain its hold over younger voters.

Diane A. Wade

Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.

Recent Posts

House Panel Votes to Release Matt Gaetz Ethics Report

The US House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Representative…

5 days ago

ABC News to Pay $15M to Settle Trump Defamation Suit

ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump to settle a…

1 week ago

South Korea’s Parliament Impeaches President Yoon Suk Yeol Following Martial Law Scandal

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt…

1 week ago

Syria: Israeli War Planes Carry Out More Than 100 Air Strikes

Israeli war planes have carried out more than 100 air strikes in Syria on December…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on BRICS Nations

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on the BRICS countries if they…

3 weeks ago

Syria Coup: Rebels Take Control of Aleppo

Syrian troops have withdrawn from the city of Aleppo following an offensive by rebels opposed…

3 weeks ago