US House passes TikTok ban bill as foreign aid approved

In a rare Saturday session, the US House of Representatives passed several foreign policy bills including one that takes steps towards potentially banning TikTok in the country. If signed into law and successfully passing through Congress with no impeding challenges in court by ByteDance Ltc., the China-based owner of TikTok, they will be required to sell their stake within a year or face a ban in America. However, given that it still needs final approval before being sent for Senate voting, followed by an up-to-one-year grace period to find a buyer through sale proceedings initiated after the bill’s passing, TikTok users should not expect its immediate disappearance from their devices anytime soon. The company may also challenge this law in court on constitutional grounds concerning First Amendment rights for app usage denial to millions of young Americans who make up about 170 million US user base. This legislative move comes after repeated intelligence concerns, raised by officials and both major parties’ representatives over possible Chinese government influence through ByteDance forcing them into sharing American data or manipulating content that aligns with Beijing’s interests on the platform. TikTok has refuted such claims in statements regarding not handing over any user data to authorities in China nor altering its algorithm for political purposes, although no evidence of this activity has been publicly presented by US officials either. Since mid-March 2021, TikTok spent $5 million on TV ads opposing the legislation according to AdImpact’s tracking records. The House also voted in favor of sending foreign aid totaling USD$95 billion to Ukraine, Israel and other allies which will be rolled into a single package presented for Senate voting soon with almost guaranteed passage followed by President Joe Biden’s signature upon its finalization.