House Passes Bipartisan Bill That Could Ban TikTok

The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill on Wednesday that gives China the option of either selling its social media platform, TikTok, or dealing with a U.S. ban. 

The Details: The bill passed 352 to 65, opposed by 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans. It now goes to the Senate, where media outlets suggest the results are unpredictable. President Joe Biden agreed to sign a ban, while former President Donald Trump rescinded his call to ban the app. Trump expressed concerns that a ban could strengthen the power of the social media app Meta, which he accused of blocking conservative content and unfairly influencing the 2020 election. 

For Context: TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is owned by the Chinese government. Of TikTok’s approximately 1.5 billion active users, 150 million of those are Americans. Under the ban, TikTok would not leave existing users’ phones, but would stop updating, eventually making it ineffective.

Key Quote: "We are united in our concern about the national security threat posed by TikTok -- a platform with enormous power to influence and divide Americans," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla) stated. 

How the Media Covered It: Left-rated voices tend to support TikTok’s role in supporting freedom of speech. Many right-rated voices oppose the app and highlight accusations that it poses a national security risk.