The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would force TikTok owner Byte Dance to sell the social media page or face, which is completely banned in the US.
According to foreign media, 353 votes were cast for the law to suppress TikTok, while 65 votes were cast against. After being approved by the House of Representatives, this bill to ban TikTok will now go to the US Senate for approval.
Chinese company Byte Dance was given a 61-day separation from the TikTok app. Byte Dance’s web hosting services will be stopped if they don’t distance themselves from TikTok.
The main reason for this legislation is that ByteDance is under the influence of the Chinese government. Government officials fear that TikTok’s collection of data from its approximately 170 million US users could be a national security threat.
These concerns have been heightened by new national security legislation China has introduced, which includes the power to compel organizations to cooperate in intelligence gathering.
However, Bytedance has often said that the company runs without interference from the Chinese government.
US Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Wednesday that the legislation “gave TikTok a clear choice.”
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She went on to say, “Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] and stay operating in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences, the choice is on TikTok.
Opponents of the law raised questions about free speech on Wednesday, calling the move a hasty attempt that falls short of meaningful reform.
Representative Barbara Lee, a progressive stalwart, posted on social media platform X that “instead of targeting one company in a rushed and secretive process, Congress should adopt comprehensive data privacy protections and better inform the public about the threats these companies face. may represent national security”.
The vote was “disappointing,” said TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who also promised the company would “do everything in our power” to protect the platform, including “exercising legal rights.”