TikTok is on the verge of being banned in the US unless it splits from its parent company, Chinese company ByteDance. The United States House of Representatives was approved this Wednesday with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 352 yes votes and 65 no votes the proposed law that could lead to the ban of the popular video application. Now The bill is still pending ratification senatebefore arriving at the office of President Joe Biden, who has already expressed willingness to sign the bill if it receives approval from both chambers.
Washington accuses TikTok spy on its users, accessing their data, their preferences and their usage times and suspects that ByteDance could pass American user data to the Chinese government. Given this ultimatum ByteDance could sell TikTok to “non-Chinese” capital or get the app banned in the United States.
The project is viewed in this context Prohibit, distribute, maintain or provide hosting services of the Internet for an application that is “controlled by a foreign adversary” – for example TikTok. It also authorizes the Ministry of Justice to do so Investigate violations of the bill and enforces its provisions, adding: “Companies that violate the project face civil sanctions depending on the number of users«.
After learning the result of the vote, TikTok sources explained: “This process was carried out in secret, And the bill was blocked for one reason: it is a ban. We hope the Senate considers the facts, listens to its constituents and understands the impact on the economy, the 7 million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service.«reports Europa Press.
On his part Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministryhas claimed that “Although the United States has never found evidence that TikTok threatens US national security in recent years, it has never stopped cracking down on it.«.
The ex-president Donald Trump He also explained this week that banning TikTok would give meta more power, while blurting out: “Facebook is an enemy of the people«. Although Trump has recognized that TikTok could pose a threat to U.S. national security, he has also been hesitant to promote a ban because “could double the size of Facebook«. In 2020, the former president tried to ban TikTok but was blocked by the courts. Trump then ordered ByteDante to sell the social network within three months.
How would you force ByteDance to sell TikTok?
According to the new law TikTok must be sold to a buyer that satisfies the U.S. government within six months. The sale would ensure that ByteDance no longer has control over TikTok or its algorithms that recommend content to users. If ByteDance cannot or refuses to sell TikTok, it would be illegal for app stores and web hosting companies to distribute or update the app in the United States. The Justice Department could sanction any company that works with TikTok or offers its app for download.
Selling would probably not be easy for ByteDance. With 170 million users in the US alone, TikTok would have a high price tag that few companies or individual buyers could afford. If you were forced to sell it, It’s also unclear whether ByteDance would put the app’s entire global presence up for sale or just the US presence..
Even if ByteDance could find a buyer for TikTok, China could prevent a sale, as happened in 2020 when former President Trump first tried to force the sale of TikTok. In addition, Beijing said last year that it would oppose a sale.
How would the ban work and what would it mean for TikTok users?
If the Senate approves the bill and the president signs it, civil penalties would be imposed on app stores like Apple and Google that distribute or update TikTok, according to the New York Times. The app is already available on millions of phones in the United States, but limiting updates will likely make it difficult for users to access it. This would be complemented by a measure banning web hosting companies from helping distribute the app.