TikTok is once again on the chopping block in the U.S. The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill that will result in the Chinese-owned social media platform being banned if it's signed into law by President Joe Biden.
In a vote of 352-65, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was able to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to advance to the Senate. Should it pass, President Biden has said that he will sign the bill into law.
Ahead of the House vote today, TikTok urged users to call their local Congressman to stop the "TikTok Shutdown," with some users being met with a message asking them to help prevent the app from being removed.
The Biden administration has been adamant about banning TikTok despite joining the video-sharing platform ahead of the 2024 presidential election, and TikTok is currently banned from being installed on government-owned smartphones. Thiry-nine states, including Florida, Maryland, and Vermont, have also banned the platform being installed on government devices.
If the bill becomes law, it will force ByteDance to abide by the ban or sell the video app. It will also penalize app stores and web hosting services for hosting TikTok. Regardless of ByteDance's route, the ban will go into effect in 180 days if it is signed into law.
While ByteDance has yet to officially announce its plans, one individual has vocally expressed interest in buying the app. In an interview earlier this week, former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said he is interested in buying TikTok in the event that ByteDance is forced to divest.
The US federal government attempted to ban TikTok during the Trump administration in 2020, but it failed. The revived discussion is a bipartisan effort, with members of both parties claiming it is a national security issue and that US lawmakers do not want China to have access to U.S. citizens' data. In contrast, those against the law, including former President Donald Trump and free speech organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), say that banning TikTok violates free speech.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
