The United States House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 352 to 65 to ban the Chinese social media platform TikTok. The bill’s next stop is the US Senate, followed by the White House for the President’s signature.
The move comes as US lawmakers have reignited discussions about banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, which boasts millions of US users, citing national security concerns linked to Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Under the bill, ByteDance would have 165 days to divest from TikTok or leave America. Only if ByteDance decides to sell its interests can the app continue to operate in the US.
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Further, the House bill stipulates that for TikTok to survive in the US, ByteDance must give up its much-coveted algorithm, which is responsible for tailoring content to user preferences.
India led to a ban on TikTok in 2020 due to national security concerns. At the time, the government highlighted concerns about the data collection practices and potential espionage activities of the popular Chinese social media platform.
Previous attempts to ban TikTok
Then in 2020, US President Donald Trump tried to ban the app, which has about 170 million US users, but failed as it was blocked by US courts. Earlier efforts were also halted in the last year due to heavy lobbying by the company
The political climate is growing in favor of the bill as the presidential election is due to be held in November this year. US President Joe Biden said last week he would sign the bill after the committee unanimously approved the measure.
