"Information Leak Inside" US House Passes TikTok Ban Bill... Concerns Over Rising US-China Tensions (Update)

TikTok Faces Ban if US Business Not Sold
Senate Approval Pending
NYT: "US-China Digital Cold War Intensifies"

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act,' which would allow the removal of the Chinese video streaming service TikTok from the United States. The White House has urged the Senate to swiftly pass the bill as well. As the U.S. accelerates pressure on the Chinese government and Chinese companies citing national security concerns, the likelihood of renewed tensions between the two countries is increasing.

According to local media such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg on the 13th (local time), the House passed the bill with 325 votes in favor and 65 against.

The TikTok Ban Act primarily prohibits the distribution of TikTok on U.S. app stores until its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, completely divests its U.S. operations. Once the law takes effect, ByteDance must sell TikTok within six months, and if the sale fails, TikTok cannot be downloaded within the United States.

The House's handling of the TikTok Ban Act stems from concerns that data of the 170 million American TikTok users could be transferred to the Chinese government. Security concerns over TikTok have been raised in the U.S. because ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, could be subject to the Chinese government. In response, President Joe Biden issued a ban on TikTok use across all federal agencies last year. Particularly, with the U.S. presidential election coming up in November, there are worries that the Chinese Communist Party might use TikTok to interfere in the election.

Amid these concerns, the House passed the TikTok Ban Act on a bipartisan basis. Despite former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, publicly opposing the passage of the TikTok Ban Act, the Republican-majority House approved the bill.

For the bill to take effect, it still needs to go through a Senate vote. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on the day, "We are pleased to see progress on this bill" and "hope for swift action in the Senate." President Joe Biden has stated that he will sign the bill if it passes Congress.

However, in the Senate, opinions are divided regarding the TikTok Ban Act, making the final passage uncertain. Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat, New York), who is opposed to the TikTok Ban Act, has not yet announced whether the bill will be brought to a vote and has only said he will consult with Democratic leaders.

Notably, TikTok has reportedly been conducting extensive lobbying efforts centered around the Senate. According to OpenSecrets, a political funding tracking platform, ByteDance has spent $21.3 million (approximately 2.8 billion KRW) on lobbying from 2019 to the present. Additionally, the TikTok Ban Act may potentially violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.

TikTok immediately pushed back. Jodi Seth, TikTok's spokesperson, said, "This is a ban without any evidence," and added, "We hope the Senate considers the facts, listens to voters' opinions, and realizes the impact the House bill will have on TikTok users."

As the U.S. unites across party lines to expel the Chinese company TikTok, tensions between the U.S. and China are expected to escalate further. The day before, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized the TikTok Ban Act, saying, "It is an act of tyranny when one cannot win in fair competition," and added, "It undermines international investors' confidence in the investment environment, destroys the international economic and trade order, and will ultimately harm the United States."

The New York Times (NYT) reported, "If ByteDance is forced to sell TikTok, the digital Cold War between the U.S. and China, which seeks to control critical technologies, will intensify significantly."

Meanwhile, according to the Chicago University’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC), 35% of American adults opposed the ban on TikTok use. The percentage of adults who supported banning TikTok was 31%, which was lower.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.