UPDATED 3/13/24, 10:50 a.m. ET: The United States House of Representatives has officially passed a bill that forces TikTok's parent company ByteDance to sell the social media platform or get banned.
Per NBC News, the House passed the bill by a wide margin. The final vote came to 352 in favor and 65 against, which means the bill will now head to the Senate. During the vote, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill is "not an attempt to ban TikTok," but an "attempt to make TikTok better."
The bill split members in each party, with notable representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Major Taylor Greene, who couldn't be further apart politically, both opposing the bill. New Jersey representative Mikie Sherrill, in an appearance on MSNBC'S Morning Joe, said a TikTok ban might "protect our national security," citing concerns that the China-based ByteDance could "control the media" seen by Americans. "It really would be as if, during the Cold War, we allowed Russia to have ownership of ABC, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal," Sherill added.
If the Senate votes in favor of the bill, the United States could join a growing list of countries that have effectively banned TikTok, including Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Kyrgyzstan. TikTok is already prohibited from being on government devices in the United States and all countries in the European Union.
See the original story below.
A bill attempting to ban TikTok in the U.S. has been passed by a House committee.
CNN reports that the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced a measure to ban the app on all electronic devices. That means TikTok wouldn’t be available to download in app stores across the nation unless the social media site is sold by ByteDance. The Chinese parent company would have 165 days—just over five months—to sell TikTok before it becomes illegal for Apple and Google to have TikTok in its app stores.
The U.S. government has been at odds with TikTok for some time now, largely due to concerns that the Chinese government is using the app to spy on Americans. Next, the bill will face a vote on the House floor before heading to the Senate, though it’s unclear how the Senate will vote.
TikTok is pushing back against the bill by making its 170 million users aware of what’s going on. Pop-ups in the app prompt users to contact their representatives to vote no on the TikTok ban.
“A TikTok ban will silence your creativity,” the pop-up reads. “Millions of creators across America are inspiring the world with their skill and talent on TikTok.” It continues, “Act now to protect your freedom to create.”
According to CNN, House offices are being inundated with phone calls from teenagers and the elderly alike.
TikTok also took to X to respond to the ban, writing, “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
