(Washington, DC) – The House of Representatives approved legislation on Wednesday that presents TikTok with a significant ultimatum: either secure a buyer for the wildly popular video-sharing platform, or face a nationwide ban within the United States.
President Biden has signaled his intention to sign the bill into law, pending its passage through the Senate, where its fate remains uncertain. While several other anti-TikTok initiatives in the Senate have stalled, the outcome for the House’s legislation remains uncertain. Regardless of its fate, this legislation marks the first instance of a congressional chamber passing a bill that could potentially shut down a major social media platform—a move that has sparked concerns among civil liberties advocates regarding the potential infringement on the free speech rights of millions of American users.
TikTok, which is owned by the Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, perceives the House legislation as a serious threat, although it is not unfamiliar with challenges to its existence, having successfully navigated previous attempts to shut it down. So, what exactly does the House bill entail?
The bill mandates ByteDance to find a buyer for TikTok within six months. Failure to do so would result in TikTok being deemed illegal for distribution by app stores and web-hosting companies, as long as it remains under the control of a “foreign adversary.” Consequently, Apple and Google would be required to remove TikTok from their app stores, while internet service providers would be compelled to block access to TikTok via internet browsers in the U.S. For the 170 million Americans who have already downloaded TikTok, the platform would not vanish instantaneously, but the inability to access software updates would render it increasingly problematic to use over time, leading to a gradual decline rather than an abrupt termination.
What implications does the House bill hold for TikTok users?
In the short term, users are unlikely to experience any immediate changes, and the app will continue to function as usual for the millions of Americans who utilize it. Furthermore, even if the Senate approves a complementary bill and President Biden signs it into law, there is a six-month deadline for TikTok to be sold, a period that could potentially be extended due to legal challenges.
