A TikTok ban in the U.S. is now a major possibility following both the House and the Senate voting in favor of a bill that would force its parent company, ByteDance, to divest or endure a partial ban.
In March 2024, the TikTok ban bill went through the House with a 352 to 65 majority. Besides the effective bipartisan support, the bill was backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Now, the U.S. Senate has also voted to pass the TikTok ban bill.
TikTok ban bill passed by US Senate
On Tuesday, April 23, the Senate voted to pass legislation that would stop the use of TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not divest the app within the next twelve months.
The issue that led to the TikTok ban bill was the personal information of over 170 million Americans on the app, which ByteDance has access to. Despite TikTok’s claims of the Americans’ data being stored on U.S.-based servers, lawmakers have voiced concerns that the Chinese government could access the data or surveil Americans at any moment.
The U.S. Senate has voted to pass the TikTok ban bill by a wide margin. The top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Senator Marco Rubio said:
“For years we’ve allowed the Chinese Communist party to control one of the most popular apps in America that was dangerously shortsighted. A new law is going to require its Chinese owner to sell the app. This is a good move for America.”
The bill is due to be signed by President Joe Biden.
President Biden has pledged to sign the TikTok ban bill
In March, the U.S. President confirmed that he would sign the bill if it made it to his desk. Now, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, President Biden is set to sign the bill into law.
On the grounds of the First Amendment, TikTok will reportedly challenge the bill once it is signed. Furthermore, users of the app are also expected to take legal action.
[Source: Reuters]
