TikTok to Restrict Use Before US Business Sale
Senate Approval Process Remains
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act,' which would allow the removal of the Chinese video streaming service TikTok from the United States.
According to local media such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg on the 13th (local time), the House approved the bill with 325 votes in favor and 65 against.
The TikTok Ban Act centers on prohibiting the distribution of TikTok on U.S. app stores until its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, completely sells off TikTok's U.S. operations. Once the law takes effect, ByteDance must sell TikTok within six months, and if the sale fails, TikTok cannot be downloaded within the United States.
The U.S. House passed the TikTok Ban Act due to concerns that data from American TikTok users could be transferred to the Chinese government. Since TikTok's parent company ByteDance is subordinate to the Chinese government, security concerns have been raised in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, publicly opposed the bill, arguing that the TikTok ban would only benefit Facebook, but the House, where Republicans hold the majority, passed the bill.
The bill still requires a Senate vote to be enacted. President Joe Biden has stated that he will sign the bill if it passes Congress.
However, the bill's passage in the Senate remains uncertain. Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat, New York) has not indicated whether he will bring the bill to a vote and has only said he will consult with Democratic leaders.
Meanwhile, according to the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC), 31% of American adults support a nationwide ban on TikTok use, while 35% oppose such a ban.
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