The US SENATE on Tuesday approved legislation that would require the hugely popular social media app TikTok to be separated from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or barred from the American market.
The move is part of a $95 billion foreign aid package, including military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, that has now been approved by Congress and is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk.
US and other Western officials have raised concerns over TikTok’s popularity among young people, alleging that the app allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users. TikTok has 170 million users in the United States alone.
Critics also say TikTok is subservient to Beijing and a channel for spreading propaganda. China and the company vehemently denied the claims.
The bill, which could trigger a rare step to ban a company from operating in the US market, passed the Senate by a vote of 79-18 three days after it was approved by the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support.
Biden stated that he would sign the legislation.
Also read: China says TikTok has experienced injustice in the US
He repeated his concerns about TikTok in a rare telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.
TikTok complained after the House of Representatives vote on Saturday, saying it was “unfortunate” that legislators were trying to “impose prohibitory legislation that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, damage seven million businesses, and shut down a platform that contributes US$24 billion to US economy every year.”
In the bill, ByteDance must sell the application within one year or be removed from the Apple and Google application stores in the United States.
Also read: FBI Chief Warns of TikTok Threat as US Senate Prepares to Support Ban
Steven Mnuchin, who served as US treasury secretary under Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, has said he is interested in buying TikTok and has put together a group of investors.
TikTok has for years been a target of American authorities, who say the platform allows Beijing to spy on users in the United States. However, such a ban could trigger legal challenges.
The bill passed by Congress gives the US president the authority to designate other apps as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country considered an enemy.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, on Friday opposed banning TikTok, saying that “doing so would go against freedom of speech and expression.” (AFP/Z-3)
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