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.

TikTok, in the meantime, is vowing to fight back against these efforts.

Here's how TikTok responded

The social media giant released a public statement in the aftermath of Saturday's vote. Per TikTok, it is "unfortunate" that House lawmakers opted to pass legislation that is hostile to "free speech rights."

TikTok then dismissed the concerns about China potentially compelling ByteDance to release private information of American citizens. To this end, the social media company accused US lawmakers of citing privacy matters as a "cover."

Moving forward, TikTok plans to challenge the legislation prohibiting it across the US via the court system. The company's public policy for the Americas head even deemed the bill as "unconstitutional" and will therefore move to have it tossed.

More on TikTok

TikTok has previously claimed if Chinese officials demanded access to Americans' personal data, it would decline to comply. However, officials here in the US aren't convinced. Some pointed out that China's security regulations would ultimately force TikTok to play ball.

As it turns out, the United States isn't the only country with concerns about TikTok's impacts on personal privacy and security. In the United Kingdom (and other Western countries), people worry about TikTok's vulnerability to exploitation by Chinese officials.