President Biden is willing to sign a bill that could potentially lead to the ban of the popular video-sharing app TikTok in the United States. The bill, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, is designed to address national security concerns related to foreign-controlled applications like TikTok.
The proposed legislation would require ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, to sell the app within six months (180 days to be precise) or risk being prohibited from U.S. app stores and web-hosting services in the event of non-compliance.
According to CBS News, the bill will be voted on next week by the House of Representatives, as confirmed by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who emphasized the bill’s critical importance for national security.
The urgency of the bill is underscored by a memo from the Justice Department to Congress, which outlines the dangers posed by TikTok, including access to Americans’ data and the potential for influence campaigns by the Chinese government.
The Justice Department suggests that the legislation would be on firmer legal ground if it authorized the government to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok rather than imposing an outright ban.
The White House has indicated that the bill may still require work to ensure it stands up to legal scrutiny. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the president would sign the bill once it is legally sound and ready to pass through Congress.
The bill’s introduction and swift advancement through the House Energy and Commerce Committee reflect the growing concerns among lawmakers and national security officials about the influence of China’s communist government through apps like TikTok.
With over 150 million monthly users in the U.S., TikTok’s widespread popularity has been accompanied by warnings that the Chinese government could access its vast data troves and use that information to spy on Americans.
