The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. unless Chinese tech giant ByteDance sells its shares of the popular social video app. The legislation passed with a strong bipartisan 352-65 vote in the House, as it now heads to the Senate and the outcomes are still uncertain.
According to the New York Times, this move escalates the competitive forces between Beijing and Washington over the control of technologies that could pose a threat to national security, free speech, and the state of the social media industry.
The bill was fast-tracked by Republicans through the house with limited debate, demonstrating the widespread backing for a clearly anti-China policy during an election year, according to The New York Times. Representative Mike Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican leading the bill said that it should “force TikTok to break up with the Chinese Communist Party.”
“This is a common-sense measure to protect our national security,” he said.
Lawmakers have tried to restrict TikTok’s activity in the U.S. in the past but found limited momentum, reported the Washington Post, but the usually lengthy process has been expedited by the Biden administration’s growing support of the effort. This is also due to growing concerns that TikTok may influence U.S. domestic politics.
In a short clip that was posted on TikTok, the company’s CEO Shou Zi Chew expressed disappointment that the vote was passed in the House. He said that the bill “gives more power to a handful of other social media companies” and that “it also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses.”
According to CNBC, TikTok Spokesperson expressed hope that the Senate, which is currently divided on the legislation, will come to a different conclusion.
“This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNBC after the vote was passed. “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.”
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