On Wednesday, March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill imposing strict requirements on the short video app TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The bill was passed with 352 votes in favor and 65 against, giving ByteDance six months to divest TikTok. Otherwise, TikTok faces a comprehensive ban in the United States.
Named the "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," the bill received strong bipartisan support. It mandates that ByteDance must sell TikTok within six months to a buyer satisfactory to the U.S. government to ensure it is no longer controlled by ByteDance. Should an agreement not be reached, or if there’s a refusal to sell, major U.S. app stores or web hosting companies will not be allowed to offer TikTok for download or updates. The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by President Biden to take effect.
TikTok, the international version of Douyin, has 170 million users in the United States, many of whom are young people, and thus has drawn significant attention. However, the app has been scrutinized by the U.S. government over national security concerns.
The White House once again expressed support for this bill and urged the Senate to act quickly. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre was pleased with the bill's passage and looked forward to prompt Senate action. She stated that the White House would provide technical support during the Senate proceedings.
Democratic President Joe Biden and his administration have expressed concerns about TikTok's impact on national security but are also actively supporting the bill. If the bill passes both the House and Senate, Biden will sign it into law.
In response, TikTok issued a statement criticizing the House’s voting process as lacking transparency and calling the bill a ban. They hope the Senate will fully consider the facts, listen to voters, and recognize the potential impact of the bill on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and 170 million American users.
Asked for comment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that the U.S. has so far failed to provide evidence of TikTok threatening national security, yet continues to suppress the app. This unfair competition and bullying disrupt normal business operations, undermine international investors' confidence in the investment environment, disrupt international economic and trade order, and ultimately harm U.S. interests.
