The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday took a decisive step regarding the popular social media platform TikTok.
The House voted in favor of a bill that could lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests from the app.
The bill, which passed with a vote of 352 to 65, gives ByteDance a 165-day deadline to sell TikTok; failure to do so would result in app stores being legally barred from hosting it.
This move comes amid growing concerns over data privacy and national security, with TikTok being used by approximately 150 million Americans.
The bill’s passage in the House marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over the influence of foreign-owned technology companies in the U.S. However, the bill’s future in the Senate remains uncertain, and it is unclear how it will progress from here.
The legislation has sparked a variety of responses, with some lawmakers emphasizing the need to protect Americans from foreign adversaries, while others argue that such a ban could be an overreach and a potential threat to freedom of expression.
TikTok has responded by urging its users to oppose the bill, stating that it represents an attack on the First Amendment rights of its users.
As the situation develops, all eyes will be on the Senate’s response and the potential implications for TikTok’s future in the U.S. market.
