An upcoming bill in the US House of Representatives will mandate TikTok to sever connections with its Chinese proprietor or else face prohibition in the United States.
This legislation signifies the most substantial challenge to the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok, which has garnered immense global popularity while raising concerns among various governments and security officials regarding its Chinese ownership and potential allegiance to the Communist Party in Beijing.
The scheduled vote is expected to take place at 10:00 am (1400 GMT) and is likely to secure a sweeping majority, presenting a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in the politically divided landscape of Washington.
The future of the bill remains uncertain in the Senate, where influential figures are opposed to taking such a drastic action against a widely embraced application with 170 million users in the US.
If the bill reaches President Joe Biden’s desk, he will sign it into law as affirmed by the White House, under the official title, “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.”
The bill, which received unanimous approval in committee last week, necessitates ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app within 180 days or face removal from Apple and Google app stores in the US.
Furthermore, it empowers the president to designate other applications as national security threats if operated by nations recognized as adversaries to the US.
The renewed offensive by Washington against TikTok came as a surprise to the company, with executives reportedly reassured when Biden joined the platform last month during his campaign activities.
TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, is currently lobbying in Washington to gather support against the bill.
In a letter to the bill’s co-sponsors, Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s vice president for public policy, expressed concerns about the legislation being fast-tracked without a public hearing.
The co-sponsors, House Republican Mike Gallagher and House Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, along with the White House, argue that the bill does not entail a TikTok ban, provided the company disassociates itself from ByteDance.
China issued a warning, stating that the US’s actions will have repercussions, and criticized the move as “bullying behavior.”
In a reversal from his prior stance, former President Donald Trump voiced opposition to the ban on Monday, citing concerns that it would benefit Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, which he labeled as an adversary.
During his tenure, Trump made efforts to gain control of TikTok from ByteDance, but faced legal obstruction in US courts.
Trump refuted claims that his change in stance was influenced by donations from major TikTok investor Jeff Yass to his campaign.
Previous attempts to ban TikTok, including a bill proposed a year ago, were largely hindered by free speech apprehensions.
Similarly, a state law passed in Montana prohibiting TikTok was stayed by a federal court on grounds of potential violation of constitutional free speech rights.
Despite refuting any connections to the Chinese government, TikTok has reorganized its operations to retain US user data within the country, as per the company’s assertions.
AFP