US House of Representatives Passes Bill to Force ByteDance to Sell TikTok

The battle between TikTok and the US government continues as the social media platform vows to fight ongoing attempts to ban the app in the United States. The US House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would force Chinese owner ByteDance to sell TikTok within a year to avoid a nationwide ban.

In response to the bill, TikTok’s head of public policy sent a memo to staff stating that the legislation is a violation of the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s 170 million American users. The company is determined to continue fighting against the ban, with TikTok’s Michael Beckerman stating, “This is the beginning, not the end of this long process.”

The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Joe Biden after passing through the Senate this week. Lawmakers from both parties and the Biden administration have raised concerns about national security risks posed by TikTok, including the potential for China to access and misuse user data.

TikTok has denied sharing US data and insists it would never do so. However, critics argue that the platform could still be used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has criticized the bill, stating that it has “no real pay-off” and could lead to further privacy concerns.

Despite facing bans in several countries, including India, TikTok remains a popular platform with millions of users worldwide. The future of TikTok in the US remains uncertain as the battle between the company and the government continues to unfold.