All things considered, the walls appear to be closing in on the popular social media app called TikTok.
Across the United States, numerous government employees aren’t even allowed to download the app on their work devices, due to potential security risks. Questions have also been raised about the extent of personal information that China can access once a TikTok user downloads and agrees to the app’s terms of service.
On Saturday, April 20, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban TikTok nationwide if ByteDance, the parent company of the social media platform, declined to do away with its stake within 12 months.
ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok has become a matter of contention, as it could open the door to China demanding access to the personal data of almost 200 million Americans using the app.
The possibility of a TikTok ban is stronger than ever, as the policy has bipartisan support. With the House’s stamp of approval, the legislation now goes to the Senate. President Biden has also declared he’ll sign off on a bill banning the platform if it arrives on his desk.
