Bipartisan Vote in U.S. House of Representatives: TikTok Activities to Be Banned 'If Not Divested'

On Wednesday, March 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill that would ban the activities of the company owning the TikTok application in the U.S. if it refuses to sell the social media platform. If finalized in the Senate, this bill gives ByteDance six months to divest TikTok before the ban takes effect and access to TikTok is removed from app stores like Apple and Google. The final vote was 352 in favor and 65 against, exceeding the two-thirds majority required for the law's approval. A total of 197 Republican lawmakers supported the bill, while 15 opposed it. Among Democrats, 155 voted in favor and 50 against. Some Republican opponents argue that the U.S. should warn consumers about privacy concerns, but the final choice should be left to users. Democrats have also warned about the impact such a ban would have on American users, including entrepreneurs and business owners. This legislation was passed despite intensified lobbying efforts by TikTok supporters and opposition from former President Donald Trump, who has changed his stance on banning the app. It remains unclear whether the Senate will provide similar support for the bill, but President Joe Biden has stated that he would sign it if it reaches his desk. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, stated shortly after the successful vote that the bipartisan support reflects Congress's opposition to China's efforts to spy on Americans and our determination to deter America's enemies. He urged the Senate to pass the bill. During the hour-long discussion on the law, many lawmakers claimed their primary goal was to separate the app from its parent company for national security reasons, not to ban it for over 170 million American users. Nearly a year ago, a proposal in the U.S. Senate was halted due to heavy lobbying from TikTok, and this new proposal is considered the first significant legal action in this regard. The new proposal does not impose any penalties on individual users of the app. TikTok claims it does not share U.S. data with the Chinese government and will not do so. In 2022, Congress banned federal employees from using TikTok in government offices. Last year, a proposal requesting a ban on TikTok and other foreign technologies in case of national security threats, which was also supported by the government, did not pass in Congress. In April 2023, the Committee on Foreign Investment led by the U.S. Treasury Department asked TikTok's Chinese owners to sell their stakes or face the possibility of a ban on the app. However, the government did not take any action. Last month, Joe Biden's campaign also joined TikTok.