US passes bill that could ban TikTok over security concerns

The US house of representatives has passed a bill to ban TikTok unless the app parts ways with ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.

According to CNN, the lawmakers voted — 352 in favour of the proposed law and 65 against it — in a rare moment of bipartisan unity on Wednesday.

The lawmakers supportive of the bill argued that the video-sharing app poses a national security threat.

This, they argued, is because the Chinese government could use its intelligence laws against ByteDance and force it to hand over the data of US app users.

If enacted, the bill would require ByteDance to sell the app within five months or see it barred from the Apple and Google app stores in the US.

Mike Johnson, a Republican house speaker, said the “vote demonstrates congress’ opposition to China’s attempts to spy on and manipulate Americans and signals our resolve to deter our enemies”.

“I urge the senate to pass this bill and send it to the president so he can sign it into law,” he said.

The White House said President Joe Biden will sign the bill, known officially as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, urged the senate lawmakers to take “swift action” on the TikTok bill.

Jean-Pierre added that the bill would not affect the relationship between the US and China.

“We are going to continue working with our relationship with China. That is not going to stop,” Jean-Pierre said.

“But the president has always been clear: when it comes to our national security and data coming from Americans, we are always going to make sure that we are addressing those threats that we face.”

Reacting in a statement, TikTok described the legislation as “an act of bullying and attack on the constitutional right to freedom of expression”.

“This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it is a ban,” the statement reads.

“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

In 2022, the US house of representatives ordered its staff to delete TikTok from any house-issued mobile devices.