A bipartisan bill that would require ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell the social media app or face a ban on all U.S. devices, was overwhelmingly approved, 352-65, in a House vote on Wednesday.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who chairs the House Select Committee on China and is the lead GOP sponsor of the bipartisan bill, says unclassified and unclassified national security assessments show that the app is a threat to user privacy and that it’s been used to target journalists and interfere in elections.
While the bill had widespread support from both sides of the aisle, it was opposed by prominent Democrats and Republicans who largely cited free speech concerns. An issue TikTok has also focused on.
In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said: “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
There has been a strong pushback from many content creators and influencers who have said the ban would destroy their businesses. Some lawmakers raised concerns that banning the app, that is popular with young people, in an election year could create political problems.
Now the bill will move to the Senate, but the outcome is less clear, as many lawmakers have said they are still evaluating it and may make changes. President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill.
