The House on Wednesday approved a bipartisan bill aimed at forcing TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the video app or face a U.S. ban. The move intensifies tensions between Washington and Beijing over technology control, national security, free speech, and the social media industry.
Republican leaders pushed the bill through the House, resulting in a decisive 352-65 vote. The show of support reflects bipartisan consensus to directly confront China amid an election year backdrop. Despite protests from TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users, the Biden administration’s concerns about Chinese ownership of the platform contributed to the bill’s passage.
The proposed legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not committed to scheduling a vote. TikTok has been under scrutiny since 2020 over national security concerns linked to its parent company, ByteDance. The bill requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to non-Chinese owners within six months to avert a ban.
Proponents of the bill argue that severing ties between TikTok and China is necessary to protect national security. Critics remain skeptical, with Beijing criticizing U.S. lawmakers and denying that TikTok poses a risk to the United States. TikTok has emphasized its efforts to safeguard U.S. user data, implement third-party oversight, and resist outside influence.
If approved, the legislation could intensify the technology cold war between the U.S. and China. TikTok’s aggressive opposition to the bill reflects its latest efforts to preserve its American market presence. The bill also faces potential scrutiny over First Amendment implications in court.
While the bill aligns with the Biden administration’s stance on addressing national security threats linked to technology, its long-term implications remain uncertain. Past attempts to ban or force the sale of TikTok under the Trump administration faced legal challenges and policy reversals. The fate of the bill in Congress, the courts, and future administrations remains to be seen.
