Critics say Beijing could force the video-sharing app to share data about its American users and spread propaganda.
US lawmakers are moving forward with proposals to ban TikTok unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company amid accusations that the platform could be used to spy on Americans and manipulate public opinion.
A U.S. House committee voted 50-0 Thursday to advance the bill, setting it up for a likely floor vote in the near future.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on X that he would bring the “critical national security bill” to the House floor for a vote next week.
The bill, introduced by Republican Mike Gallagher, would give Beijing-based ByteDance about six months to divest or face a ban.
The latest push to restrict TikTok comes after courts blocked former President Donald Trump's efforts to ban the app in 2020.
🚨 The @HouseCommerce The committee just voted 50-0 to force TikTok to sever its ties with the Chinese Communist Party. I will bring this critical national security bill to the House floor for a vote next week.
—Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) March 7, 2024
Critics of TikTok have argued that Beijing could force the platform to share data about its American users and spread propaganda and misinformation.
TikTok has denied sharing personal data with the Chinese government and insisted it would reject any requests if requested.
“The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression,” TikTok said in a statement, accusing supporters of the legislation of seeking the predetermined outcome of an outright ban.
“This will harm millions of businesses, deny audiences to artists, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
Gallagher denied trying to ban the platform entirely and said it could continue operating in the United States “as long as there is that separation.”
“It's not a ban; think of this as surgery designed to remove the tumor and thus save the patient in the process,” he said.
The prospects for the bill becoming law are unclear, although concern about TikTok extends to both sides of the aisle.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson backed the measures, and the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, welcomed the proposals and indicated the legislation “still needs some work” to gain its support.
In November, a judge blocked the state of Montana from implementing its first-of-its-kind TikTok ban, saying it violated users' free speech rights.
