The United States Congress approved a bill that could result in the banning of TikTok in the country. The package — which also includes sending financial aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — was approved on Tuesday night (23).
In the case of TikTok, the application could be banned in the USA if ByteDance, which owns the social network, does not find a buyer trusted by Americans.
When the bill passed the House, TikTok regretted the decision and said the measure would “trample on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans.” Read the full statement below.
President Joe Biden has already shown support for the law. If the Democrat actually sanctions the text, ByteDance will have 270 days to find a buyer for TikTok’s operations in the United States. This period may be renewed for another 90 days.
The new owner cannot be related to the Chinese company.
The expectation is that ByteDance will take legal action to prevent the application of the law. The company claims that the project is unconstitutional.
Understand the discussion involving TikTok and the United States below:
Why is the US closing in on TikTok?
The idea of banning the platform comes from Donald Trump’s government, which said that ByteDance, owner of TikTok, represented a risk to the country’s security because China could take advantage of the company’s power to obtain data from American users. TikTok, in turn, has always denied it.
Why was the project included in a package with different themes?
A previous version of the text had been paralyzed in the Senate since March. Congressmen then decided to include the social network in a package that includes economic aid to US-allied countries, such as Ukraine and Israel. Financing bills tend to move faster through the houses, in addition to being a priority for President Joe Biden.
What if TikTok doesn’t comply with the law?
If ByteDance refuses to comply with the American decision or if it does not find a buyer, big tech companies Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores, App Store and Play Store, respectively.
What does TikTok say now?
According to Reuters, TikTok said in a statement that “it is regrettable that the Chamber of Deputies is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again pass a bill that would trample the freedom of expression rights of 170 million Americans.”
How were the other votes?
With broad support from Democrats and Republicans, on March 13, the text of the bill was approved by 352 votes to 65. Prior to that, on March 7, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee had also voted to separation of the social network from ByteDance in the North American market.
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