US House of Representatives issues TikTok decision

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would pave the way for a ban on TikTok in the country on the grounds that it “poses a national security concern” and sent it to the Senate. The bill titled “Protecting Americans from Foreign Hostile Controlled Apps Act” was approved by 352 “yes” votes to 65 “no” votes in the US House of Representatives. The bill stipulates that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance must sell the company, or else TikTok will be banned from relevant app markets for 5 months or completely. Supporters of the bill, which was passed by a joint vote of Republicans and Democrats, argue that the information about American citizens obtained by Beijing-based ByteDance through TikTok is being transmitted to the Chinese administration. Members of Congress who oppose the bill argue that the claim that TikTok collects data and transmits it to China requires proof and that banning the app could mean restricting “freedom of expression.” TikTok’s management claims that these claims are untrue and that they operate entirely under American law, like other social media platforms in the US. After the bill passed with a large majority in the House of Representatives, all eyes are now on the Senate, where the bill was sent. US President Joe Biden announced that he would sign the bill if it came to his desk due to national security concerns.