The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill requiring TikTok to split from its Chinese owner or face expulsion from the US.
In an unprecedented show of bipartisanship in politically divided Washington, the lawmakers voted 352 in favour of the new measure and 65 against it.
The legislation comes a huge threat to the video-sharing app, which has become increasingly popular worldwide despite raising concerns about its Chinese ownership and possible allegiance to Beijing’s Communist Party.
The bill’s future is uncertain in the Senate because several influential members are wary of taking such a strong stance against an app with 170 million US users.
According to the White House, if this measure reaches President Joe Biden’s desk, it will be signed into law as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.”
Additionally, the bill grants the president the authority to declare additional applications to be a threat to national security if they are controlled by a nation that the US considers an enemy.
The Wall Street Journal stated that TikTok executives were taken aback by Washington’s renewed push against the app, even though they had been reassured when Biden joined the platform last month as part of his bid for a second term.
According to reports, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, is in Washington, DC., attempting to rally opposition to the law.
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