The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that could lead to the banning of the social media platform TikTok in the country, marking a significant move in the ongoing tensions between the US, China, and big tech companies.
The bill, receiving bipartisan support with a vote of 352 to 65, will now move to the Senate, where its future is less certain. However, President Joe Biden has expressed his readiness to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.
If signed into law, the bill would require TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest its US assets within about six months or face a ban on its popular video-sharing app in the US. This legislation is driven by concerns that ByteDance's ties to the Chinese government could compromise national security, particularly in terms of data privacy and potential intelligence gathering.
ByteDance has consistently maintained its independence from the Chinese government, but recent national security laws in China have heightened fears in the US about the potential risks posed by TikTok.
US Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers emphasized the bill's aim to give TikTok a clear choice: either operate independently in the US or align with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and face the consequences.
Opponents of the bill, including Representative Barbara Lee, have raised concerns about freedom of speech and criticized the rushed nature of the legislation. Lee called for comprehensive data privacy protections and more transparency in addressing national security threats posed by tech companies.
Ahead of the House vote, a top national security official in the Biden administration briefed legislators on TikTok's national security implications in a closed-door session.
In response to the bill's passage, TikTok supporters, including content creators, gathered at the US Capitol, and the company issued a statement opposing the vote. TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek criticized the process as secretive, describing the bill as a ban and urging the Senate to consider the impact on the economy and millions of Americans who use the platform.
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