House Passes Legislation to Ban TikTok in the U.S. if Chinese Owner Doesn’t Sell Stake
In a surprising move, the House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday that would ban TikTok in the United States if the popular social media platform’s China-based owner, ByteDance Ltd., doesn’t sell its stake within a year. The decision to include TikTok as part of a larger foreign aid package fast-tracked the ban after an earlier version had stalled in the Senate.
The bill, which passed by a 360-58 vote, now heads to the Senate after negotiations extended the timeline for the company to sell to nine months, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. However, legal challenges could further delay the process, as ByteDance has indicated it may go to court to block the law, arguing it would violate the First Amendment rights of the app’s millions of users.
TikTok has lobbied hard against the legislation, urging its 170 million U.S. users to voice their opposition to Congress. However, lawmakers have expressed concerns about Chinese threats to national security, leading to bipartisan support for the ban.
The bill’s swift passage through Congress is notable, as lawmakers have historically taken a hands-off approach to tech regulation. However, the widespread concerns about China’s influence on TikTok have prompted action.
Despite the lack of public evidence showing TikTok sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government, the company faces a potential ban in the U.S. if it fails to comply with the legislation. The outcome of this battle between TikTok and the U.S. government remains uncertain, but the stakes are high for both parties involved.