This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation requiring ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to either sell the widely-used social media platform or face a ban in the United States.
The initiative to prohibit TikTok dates back to the Trump Administration and has gained renewed attention in recent months. A similar measure was passed by the House in March, but the Senate was largely uninterested in it. The revised bill extends the period ByteDance has to divest TikTok to nine months, up from six months in the earlier version, and allows the president to grant a one-time extension of 90 days.
Senate Commerce chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) expressed approval of the change, noting on Thursday that the extended timeline would more likely ensure the app’s divestiture.
The bill passed with a vote of 360-58, receiving substantial bipartisan support. It is part of a broader legislative package that includes foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and was strategically included to garner additional conservative backing by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The Senate is expected to consider the package next week, and President Joe Biden has indicated his support for the bill, planning to sign it. Should this occur, TikTok is anticipated to legally contest the bill.
The Biden administration has been briefing legislators on the national security risks posed by TikTok, citing potential data collection on American users by the Chinese government and the dissemination of propaganda. House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) today likened the app to “a spy balloon in Americans’ phones,” accusing it of surveilling and exploiting American personal data.
Earlier in the week, when the likelihood of a TikTok legislation resurfaced, the company released a statement condemning the House for leveraging vital foreign and humanitarian aid to push through a bill that they argue would infringe on the free speech of 170 million Americans, negatively impact 7 million businesses, and close down the platform. Organizations focused on civil liberties, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, have previously opposed similar bans.
