US House Passes Bill Banning TikTok Unless Parent Company Sells Ownership Interest

A law mandating that Tik Tok divest from its Chinese owner or face expulsion from the US was overwhelmingly approved by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.

In a rare display of bipartisanship in politically divided Washington, the lawmakers voted 352 in favor of the new law and 65 against.

The video-sharing app, which has gained worldwide appeal despite raising concerns about its Chinese ownership and its subordination to the Communist Party in Beijing, faces serious setbacks as a result of the legislation.

The bill's future in the Senate is in doubt because several influential senators are wary of taking such a strong stance against an app that has 170 million US users.

If the measure reaches President Joe Biden's desk, it will be signed into law as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” according to the White House.

The law, which has only gained traction in the last few days, mandates that Tik Tok's parent firm Byte Dance sell the app within 180 days or risk having it removed from the US versions of the Apple and Google app stores.

Also it grants the president the authority to declare additional applications to be a threat to national security if they are controlled by a nation that the US considers an enemy.

The Wall Street Journal stated that Tik Tok executives were taken aback by Washington's revived assault against the app, even though they had been reassured when Biden joined the platform last month as part of his campaign for a second term.

Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, is in Washington, DC, attempting to rally opposition to the law.

“This latest legislation being rushed through at unprecedented speed without even the benefit of a public hearing, poses serious Constitutional concerns,” wrote Michael Beckerman, Tik Tok's vice president for public policy.