US House passes bill that could lead to TikTok ban

A bill to force an end to Chinese ownership of TikTok and which could lead to a ban in the United States passed its first hurdle in the House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan vote.

Republicans and Democrats joined forces to reach the necessary two-thirds majority by 352 to 65 to require ByteDance, the owners, to divest from the video-sharing app used by 150 million Americans. If it fails to act within six months of the bill passing then the app would be banned.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Bill now moves to the Senate where the argument is expected to be much closer and could take weeks to be scrutinised before being put to a vote. President Biden has said he will sign the bill if Congress sends it to his desk.

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