TikTok is just one vote away from being banned in the United States

The House of Representatives passed, by 352 votes to 65, the bill aimed at banning TikTok in the USA. If the bearers of the text achieve their objective, it would be a real earthquake, undoubtedly worsening the very conflictual relations between the two leading world powers.

The Chinese application has been in the sights of the American authorities since 2020 when, under the leadership of the Trump administration, several attempts to ban it failed. American authorities fear the relationship between ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, and the Chinese Communist Party, believing that the data of American users could be delivered to Beijing. A situation exacerbated by the trade war between the two nations. The platform has always denied these allegations, going so far as to put in place a $1.5 billion plan to reassure Washington. In vain.

Bipartisan support

The bill, which would force ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American entity under penalty of being banned in the territory, was approved by the overwhelming majority of representatives, whether Democrats or Republicans. This bipartisan support is all the more surprising during an election period, even though Donald Trump has reversed his position by saying he is against the ban. However, he is the one who initiated the remonstrations against the platform four years ago.

For its part, the application has carried out major lobbying campaigns, without success for the moment. She argues, among other things, that a ban would represent a violation of the US Constitution and the First Amendment. The United States is the company’s largest international market.

Still a long way

Now, it is the Senate’s turn to decide on the issue. The assembly must also validate the text before it is presented to the president. This step could prove more thorny for the sponsors of the text, several senators having expressed their reluctance with regard to such a measure. They also have the possibility of modifying its content.

“ We hope the Senate will look at the facts, listen to its constituents, and realize our impact on the economy, with seven million small businesses, and on the 170 million Americans who use our services “said a TikTok spokesperson.

Last year, the Chinese government also announced that a forced sale of TikTok would be blocked. If the law is enacted, it is also possible that ByteDance will challenge it directly in court, which would delay the process and could even cancel it. For his part, Joe Biden has indicated that he would sign the legislation if it were presented to him.

Source : The Verge