But it may face a tougher road in the Senate…
The dominant social media site and news platform for Gen Z is one step closer to being banned in the United States.
On Wednesday, the House voted 352 to 65 to ban TikTok from domestic app providers if it refuses to cut ties with its Chinese parent company and, allegedly, the Chinese Communist Party. (RELATED: Senate Democrats Reject GOP Attempt To Put Americans First)
Since its debut, critics have lambasted Chinese-owned TikTok as a “Trojan Horse” that collects user data for its parent company ByteDance on behalf of the Chinese government to sift through.
TikTok executives had previously testified that Americans' data was always stored outside of China, but later amended that statement in July 2023 to acknowledge exceptions. The enormously popular social media platform is used by an estimated 170 million Americans.
Posting on X, Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson wrote: “Under Communist Chinese control, TikTok is collecting your data, controlling what you see, and spying on you – or worse, on your kids. I'm leading the charge to force TikTok to cut ties with China!”
Texas Republican Randy Weber noted that “The CCP has gotten away with collecting Americans' private data for WAY TOO LONG – and we know they are using TikTok as their vessel.”
“The House just passed a bill to protect millions of Americans. The bill forces TikTok to sell off its China-controlled ByteDance, which completely cuts off the flow of data between Americans' phones and Beijing,” Weber added. (RELATED: China Planted Mystery Devices On Cranes Used In US Ports, Could Do This Remotely?)
In a rare show of bipartisanship, the measure advanced unanimously out of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, and President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
The bill would give ByteDance roughly five months to sell TikTok. If not divested by that time, it would be illegal for app store operators such as Apple and Google to make it available for download.
TikTok has called the legislation an attack on the constitutional right to freedom of expression for its users. It launched a call-to-action campaign within the app, urging users to call representatives in Washington to oppose the bill. Multiple congressional offices have said they've been flooded with calls.
In a statement on Wednesday's vote, TikTok said its attention would now shift to the Senate, where the fate of the legislation is unclear.
Former President Donald Trump seemingly changed his stance on the proposed TikTok ban during a recent interview with CNBC. Although he acknowledged the national security concerns associated with the app, Trump was more vocal in criticizing Facebook, calling it the “enemy of the people.”
Only 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted in opposition to the ban.
However, Trump's apparent resistance could create unforeseen obstacles in the U.S. Senate.
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