In the ever-increasingly-dramatic fight between the United States of America (and its lawmakers) against TikTok, The House passed legislation this morning that could ban TikTok in the US unless the app parts ways with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. It’s a huge step that creates a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, used by more and more influencers every day, and an estimated total of 170 million Americans.
Multiple sources note that lawmakers supportive of the bill have argued TikTok poses a national security threat because the Chinese government could use its intelligence laws against ByteDance, forcing it to hand over the data of US app users. It’s not yet clear what the fate of the measure will be in the Senate.
If enacted, the bill would give TikTok about five months to separate from ByteDance, or app stores in the US would be banned from hosting it on their platforms.
In a statement, TikTok blasted the House vote and urged the Senate to “consider the facts.” China’s foreign ministry responded angrily ahead of the vote, calling it an “act of bullying.”
We will continue our extensive coverage of this ongoing saga here on the Hustle. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the potential of a TikTok ban? Sound off on our social platforms (which, for this moment, do not include TikTok)!
