WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday on a bill that would cause major ripples through the world of social media and could lead to TikTok being banned in the U.S.
The bill, if it is signed into law, would give TikTok's owner, the China-based company ByteDance, 180 days to sell the video-based social media platform.
If ByteDance doesn't divest from TikTok by then, it would become illegal for app stores such as those offered by Apple and Google to make the app available for download.
While the bill contains language allowing similar measures to be taken against other apps "controlled by foreign adversary companies," it's clear that the measure is designed to target TikTok, which has become a favored target of some members of Congress concerned about the Chinese government's alleged access to data being gathered by ByteDance.
TikTok has long denied the allegations that it could be used as a tool of the Chinese government.
Is TikTok going to be banned?
While the bill has now passed the House, where it had a bipartisan coalition supporting it, opposition to the bill was also bipartisan.
The measure now heads to the Senate, where its path is less clear.
Senators have indicated the bill would undergo a thorough review before its brought up for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he'll have to consult with relevant committee chairs to determine the bill's path.
Senators expressed an openness to the bill but suggested they don’t want to rush ahead.
“It is not for me a redeeming quality that you’re moving very fast in technology because the history shows you make a lot of mistakes,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.
When will a possible TikTok ban happen?
Even if the bill passes Congress, it's unclear exactly when TikTok would be banned, or if it even would. ByteDance could sell its interest in TikTok to another company. There would likely be a number of interested parties, considering more than 170 million people in the U.S. use the app.
If the bill gets approved by Congress, the clock will start as soon as Biden signs it into law. As its currently written, once the bill becomes law, ByteDance would have six months to sell TikTok.
If ByteDance refuses, TikTok would be illegal to download on U.S. app stores. It's unclear what would happen to the millions of people who have already downloaded it, but it's possible the app will become unable to reach TikTok's servers, effectively rendering it useless.
Why is Congress trying to ban TikTok?
Lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. any time it wants. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.
TikTok has repeatedly denied these allegations.
Members of Congress have long been critical of tech platforms and their expansive influence, often clashing with executives over industry practices. But by targeting TikTok, lawmakers are singling out a platform popular with millions of people, many of whom skew younger, just months before an election.
Ahead of the House vote, a top national security official in the Biden administration held a closed-door briefing Tuesday with lawmakers to discuss TikTok and the national security implications. Lawmakers are balancing those security concerns against a desire not to limit free speech online.
“What we've tried to do here is be very thoughtful and deliberate about the need to force a divestiture of TikTok without granting any authority to the executive branch to regulate content or go after any American company,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the bill's author, as he emerged from the briefing.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.