The US House of Representatives has given the green light to a significant bill that could result in a nationwide ban on TikTok.
The legislation stipulates that ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the social media behemoth, has a six-month window to divest its majority stake, failing which the app could be prohibited in the US.
Despite the bill’s resounding bipartisan approval in the House, it still has to navigate the Senate and receive the president’s signature to be enacted into law. Legislators have expressed ongoing apprehensions about the extent of China’s sway over TikTok.
ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing, is obligated under a national security law to divulge data to Chinese authorities. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin and co-sponsor of the bill, voiced concerns about the potential risks of a dominant American news platform being under the control or ownership of a company tied to the Chinese Communist Party.
TikTok has attempted to placate regulators by asserting that it has implemented measures to segregate the data of its 150 million American users from ByteDance personnel in China. However, a Wall Street Journal investigation in January revealed that the system remained permeable, with data being informally exchanged between TikTok’s US operations and ByteDance in China.
This has led to heightened concerns, particularly in light of incidents where ByteDance staff in China accessed a journalist’s data to identify their sources.
Following Wednesday’s vote, a company spokesperson criticized lawmakers for hastily pushing through a “ban” via what they termed a “clandestine” process. Hakeem Jeffries, the leading Democrat in the House, endorsed the bill prior to the vote, stating it would reduce the chances of TikTok user data being exploited and privacy being compromised by a foreign adversary.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Senate would now examine the legislation. However, its fate in the upper house remains uncertain, particularly after Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, voiced his opposition to the bill.
Trump, who had previously attempted to ban the app during his presidency, reversed his stance following a meeting with Republican donor Jeff Yass, who is said to own a minor stake in ByteDance.
Trump’s resistance was mirrored by several House members on Wednesday. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, expressed on social media that the bill could set a precedent for Congress to mandate the sale of other companies under the guise of safeguarding US data from foreign adversaries.
A number of Democrats also oppose a ban, fearing it could estrange the app’s young user base as the party strives to maintain its appeal among younger voters.
