- US House to vote on bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months.
- Lawmakers cite national security risks associated with TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
- The potential ban could set a precedent for handling security concerns related to other China-linked apps.
Lawmakers cite national security risks
The US House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill that would require ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell the popular short-video platform within six months or face a ban in the United States.
The decision to advance the bill proposal came after lawmakers received a confidential briefing on the national security risks associated TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
If passed, the bill would give ByteDance 165 days to separate from TikTok, and failure to comply would result in a ban on app stores like those operated by Apple and Google from legally hosting TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps.
TikTok denies sharing user data China
TikTok maintains that it has not shared and will not share US user information the Chinese government. However, the company has expressed uncertainty regarding China’s approval of a potential sale and whether it can be accomplished within the six-month timeframe outlined in the bill.
This is not the first time the US government has attempted to ban TikTok; former president Donald Trump tried to ban both TikTok and WeChat in 2020.
The potential ban on TikTok could set a precedent for handling security concerns related to other China-linked apps.
When asked if the bill would affect messaging platform WeChat, Mike Gallagher, a member of the US House of Representatives and the head of its select China committee, stated that “going forward, we can debate what companies” the bill can apply to.
As the vote on the bill approaches, the future of TikTok in its largest market worldwide remains uncertain.
The outcome of this vote could have significant implications for ByteDance, TikTok, and the broader landscape of China-linked apps operating in the United States.
To read the original article in its entirety: https://www.techinasia.com/vote-bytedancetiktok-separation-week-report
