US HOUSE PASSES LEGISLATION THAT COULD BAN TIKTOK IF IT DOESN’T CUT TIES TO CHINA

Sat 20 April 2024:

The US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a nationwide ban in the United States, where it has around 170 million users.

US officials have voiced alarm over the popularity of the social media platform with young people, alleging that it is subservient to Beijing and a conduit to spread propaganda — claims denied by the company.

The bipartisan vote of 360-58 marks the latest defeat for TikTok in Washington, as the embattled social media company with 170 million US users fights for survival under its current ownership by ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.

The bill passed by the House this weekend closely resembles an earlier version approved in March that would ban TikTok from US app stores unless it finds a new owner, and quickly.

The version of the bill approved Saturday would, if signed, give TikTok 270 days to find a new owner, up from the roughly six months contemplated under prior versions of the legislation. And the bill also gives the White House an option to extend that deadline another 90 days if the president determines there’s progress toward a sale.

TikTok has vocally opposed the bill. For weeks, TikTok has waged an intense lobbying campaign in a bid to defeat the legislation, arguing it violates its users’ First Amendment rights and threatens small businesses.

“It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually,” TikTok said in a post on X on Wednesday.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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