House bill could spell the end of TikTok

On Wednesday, the House approved a bill that, should its Chinese owner fail to sell its interest, would result in the widespread prohibition of the well-known video app TikTok.

After passing by a vote of 352-65, the bill now moves on to the Senate, where its future is uncertain.

With over 170 million users in the United States, TikTok is a fully owned subsidiary of ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese technology company.

According to certain senators, ByteDance is subject to the Chinese government, which has the right to request access to TikTok users’ data in the United States at any moment.

Chinese national security laws that require organizations to cooperate with intelligence gathering are the source of concern.

The bill’s passage in the House is just the first step. For the proposal to become law, the Senate would also need to approve it, and senators there promised to give it careful consideration. The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, stated that in order to decide the course of the measure, he will need to confer with the chairs of the pertinent committees.