TikTok is threatened to be banned in the US due to a newly voted bill

The US House of Representatives voted again on a bill that might prohibit TikTok. The new clause now compels ByteDance to sell the social media to a US corporation within a year, rather than six months. Failure to do so will result in TikTok's removal from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

TikTok preemptively made a statement on X, claiming that the ban will "trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy, annually."

The bill received strong support from the House of Representatives, with a vote of 360-58, despite no changes from last month. The bill's sponsor, Texas Republican Representative Michael McCaul, said it would protect Americans, particularly children, from the "malign influence of Chinese propaganda."

The plan is expected to pass Congress, and it will then be up to President Joe Biden to sign it into law. He has already declared that he will do so. Once this occurs, TikTok's owner, ByteDance, will have twelve months to find a US buyer for the social platform or face a ban.