House passes bill to force sale of TikTok within a year or face ban
House of Representatives approves legislation giving TikTok two choices: sell or be banned
Bill closely resembles earlier version passed in March, would ban TikTok from US app stores
The House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday that would force TikTok, the immensely popular video app, to either find a buyer or face a ban in the United States. The bill, which passed with broad bipartisan support, attaches itself to a foreign aid bill.
This is the latest effort in Congress to force TikTok to be sold. In March, the House approved an earlier version of the bill that would ban TikTok from US app stores. However, that bill stalled in the Senate.
The new bill is similar to the earlier version, but it includes some changes. For example, the new bill gives TikTok one year to find a buyer. If TikTok is unable to find a buyer within that time frame, the app will be banned from the United States.
The bill's passage is a significant development in the ongoing debate over TikTok's future in the United States. The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed concerns about TikTok's ties to the Chinese government and has threatened to ban the app if it is not sold to an American company.
TikTok has denied that it poses a security threat and has said that it is not controlled by the Chinese government. However, the company has been under fire in recent months for its handling of user data and its censorship of content.
The fate of TikTok in the United States is now in the hands of the Senate. If the Senate passes the bill, TikTok will have one year to find a buyer or face a ban.
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