Will TikTok be banned in the US soon? New bill considered by Congress

The US House of Representatives will again consider a bill on Saturday that would ban TikTok in the US unless the social network cuts ties with its parent company ByteDance and China more broadly.

The measure is included in a series of documents that would allocate funds to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine, which could ease its passage in both houses of Congress.

The proposed law would force ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app within months or be banned from selling Apple and Google apps in the US. It would also give the US president the power to designate other apps as a national security threat if they are controlled by a country considered hostile to the United States.

Proposed law criticized by TikTok

This proposed law has been heavily criticized by TikTok. “It is regrettable that the House of Representatives is using the pretext of significant foreign and humanitarian aid to once again push through a proposed ban that would violate the free speech rights of 170 million Americans,” a spokesperson for the statement said.

TikTok has been in the crosshairs of US authorities for months, with many officials believing the short and entertaining video platform allows Beijing to spy on and manipulate its US users. US President Joe Biden reiterated his “concerns” about TikTok during a call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in early April.

In mid-March, the House of Representatives already adopted a text providing for a ban on filing an application, but since then this text has remained in parliamentary limbo.