US House passes bill banning TikTok over Chinese ties

The US House of Representatives has given the green light to a bill aimed at effectively prohibiting TikTok in the US unless it cuts its connections with its Chinese parent company ByteDance. This bipartisan move saw 352 votes in favour and 65 against. It is a significant blow to TikTok, which enjoys immense popularity globally but has faced scrutiny over its Chinese ownership and potential links to the Chinese Communist Party.

Dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the bill mandates ByteDance to divest TikTok within 180 days or face expulsion from the Apple and Google app stores in the US. Furthermore, it empowers the president to label other applications as national security risks if they are controlled by nations deemed adversarial to the US.

The bill's prospects in the Senate remain uncertain, with some senators expressing reluctance to take such a drastic step against an app boasting 170 million users in the US. Nonetheless, the White House has affirmed that President Biden would sign the bill if it lands on his desk.

Despite TikTok's claims of no affiliations with the Chinese government and efforts to ensure US user data remains stateside, doubts persist regarding potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has encouraged US users to voice their concerns and share their experiences with their senators in hopes of halting the bill's advancement. The company warns that the legislation would adversely affect 7 million small businesses and 170 million American users.

China has condemned the move, warning of repercussions for the US and denouncing it as bullying behavior. Previous attempts to ban TikTok have encountered hurdles due to free speech considerations. A Montana state law seeking to ban the platform was halted by a federal court on suspicion of violating constitutional free speech rights.

In essence, the US House of Representatives has passed a bill with the potential to effectively oust TikTok from the US market unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company. Its fate in the Senate remains uncertain, but President Biden has signaled his readiness to endorse the bill if it crosses his desk. Despite TikTok's efforts to distance itself from the Chinese government, concerns persist over potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party.