US House Passes Bill To Force TikTok Parent ByteDance To Divest Or Face Ban

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill with overwhelming bipartisan support (352-65) that could mandate TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell off the app or risk it being banned in the US.

This action, aimed at mitigating security concerns regarding the app's Chinese ownership, is part of the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act."

While the White House has indicated President Biden would sign it, the bill's future in the Senate remains uncertain. TikTok, which recently saw its CEO visit Washington to lobby against the bill, argues it infringes on constitutional rights.

Despite former President Trump's previous efforts to control TikTok and his latest opposition to the ban, partly citing competitive concerns for Meta, the bill moved forward.

China has criticized the US move, and previous attempts to ban TikTok have been unsuccessful, often citing free speech considerations. TikTok insists it has taken steps to safeguard US user data within the country.