On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives unanimously backed a bill requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.
The legislation is a significant blow to the video-sharing app, which has grown in popularity worldwide while raising concerns about its Chinese ownership and potential subservience to the Communist Party in Beijing. In a rare display of unanimity in politically polarized Washington, the lawmakers voted 352 in favor of the new law and 65 against it.
This process was kept secret, and the measure was passed because it is a ban,” claimed a TikTok spokeswoman.
“We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” the representative said.
The bill, which has only recently gained traction, demands TikTok’s parent firm, ByteDance, to sell the app within 180 days or face bans from the Apple and Google app stores in the United States.
