US House Committee Unanimously Passes Bill to Ban TikTok Owned by Chinese Companies

A bill banning the use of the video-sharing app TikTok in the United States has passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

On the 7th (local time), the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a bill that would prohibit TikTok from being available on U.S. app stores until its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app, citing national security concerns. The bill was introduced with bipartisan cooperation from over 20 lawmakers, including Republican Michael Gallagher, chairman of the U.S.-China Strategic Competition Special Committee, and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, the committee’s ranking member.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

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According to the bill, ByteDance must sell TikTok within 165 days after the bill takes effect. Failure to comply would make the sale of TikTok on U.S. app stores illegal. The bill reportedly includes similar prohibitions on other apps controlled by so-called "adversary country" companies.

CNN pointed out, "This bill is the strongest legislation that could fundamentally restrict TikTok’s traffic and content from being transmitted via internet hosting services," adding, "If enacted, it could have a significant impact across the industry." The White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, have expressed support for the bill, but it remains uncertain whether it will pass the Senate.

TikTok is a video-sharing app that has gained explosive popularity, especially among younger generations, with reportedly 170 million users in the U.S. alone. The U.S. government and political circles have raised concerns that, since TikTok’s parent company is Chinese, users’ personal information could be leaked to the Chinese government. The White House already issued a ban on TikTok use across all federal agencies last year.

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TikTok has been pursuing plans to establish its own servers within the U.S. to separately manage user information, while mounting a full-scale protest against such measures by putting influencers at the forefront. Immediately after the bill’s passage, TikTok responded, "This bill means completely driving TikTok out of the United States," calling it "a measure that deprives 170 million Americans of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has sparked controversy by launching official election activities using TikTok.

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