US House of Representatives Passes Bill on Banning TikTok

Tiktok to ban in the United States

The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that could eventually ban the social media platform TikTok in the country if not separated from its parent Chinese company.

The decision stipulates banning the application from American app stores, unless it is separated from the Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The bill requires the company to sell it within 180 days. If it does not do so, it will be banned in American app stores and web hosting services in the United States.

The bill received resoundingly bipartisan support, with vote of 352 to 65 in favor. Fifty Democrats and 15 Republicans voted against the bill.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate and there appears to be less urgency to act. Voting in favor of the bill in the House of Representatives does not make it a law, as it must also be approved by the Senate.

US President Joe Biden must sign the bill if the Senate approves it.

The White House had previously said that the bill is officially called "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications." In its first reaction, TikTok application criticized in a statement the swift consideration of the bill and taking of the measure in closed sessions, noting that its attention has now turned to the Senate to prevent the ban from moving forward.

"This process was secret... We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service," the statement read. 

Source: QNA