The U.S. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday that would give the social media giant, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app would be blocked in the US.
Despite its bipartisan support in the House, the bill still awaits approval from the Senate and the president’s signature to become law.
U.S. lawmakers have long expressed concerns about China’s influence over TikTok, viewing it as a potential threat to national security.
President Joe Biden has pledged to promptly sign the bill once it clears the Senate and reaches his desk.
Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican and co-author of the bill, emphasized the risk posed by having a dominant news platform in the U.S. controlled by a company beholden to the Chinese Communist Party.
Under a national security law, Chinese companies are obligated to share data with the government upon request, raising further apprehensions.
TikTok has attempted to assure regulators that it has implemented measures to safeguard the data of its 150 million U.S. users from ByteDance employees in China.
CEO Shou Zi Chew reaffirmed the company’s commitment to data security and maintaining the platform’s integrity.
The bill’s passage has elicited reactions within the U.S. and China, potentially impacting diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Some critics, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, contend that the bill sets a precedent for Congress to force the sale of other corporations under the guise of protecting U.S. data from foreign adversaries.
Certain Democrats also oppose a ban, fearing it could alienate TikTok’s youthful user base, crucial for the party’s support among younger voters.
Nevertheless, some U.S. citizens have expressed dismay at the news, with supporters gathering to protest against the bill’s implications.
One protester, Tiffany Yu, a young disability advocate from Los Angeles, emphasized the platform’s importance for her work, while content creator Mona Swain highlighted the bill’s potential negative impact on U.S. businesses.
Meanwhile, China has condemned the bill, labeling Washington’s actions as indicative of a “bandit” mentality. Beijing has vowed to take necessary measures to safeguard its companies’ interests overseas.
China’s commerce ministry spokesperson, He Yadong, criticized the bill as an attempt by the U.S. to suppress foreign companies, urging Washington to provide a fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign investment.
The bill’s approval prompted strong reactions from Beijing’s foreign ministry
spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, who argued that the vote contradicted principles of fair competition and international economic rules.
While the White House defended the bill as a measure to prevent major technology platforms operating in the U.S. from falling into the hands of entities that could exploit them, tensions between the two nations persist over the implications of the legislation.
