Lawmakers in the United States are pushing for a law that would either make China's ByteDance sell TikTok or risk a ban in the country. Before a crucial 50-0 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, lawmakers received a top-secret briefing about national security worries linked to TikTok's Chinese ownership.
This legislation is seen as a serious threat to the hugely popular app, used by a whopping 170 million Americans. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the House speaker, announced his support for the bill. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also pledged to bring the bill to the House floor, and if it passes there, it'll head to the Senate.
To add fuel to the fire, the White House has backed this bill introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it an important step forward.
Meanwhile, TikTok, adamant that it doesn't share data about its U.S. users with Beijing, launched a campaign to warn that the app might be shut down in the U.S. Enraged TikTok users deluged lawmakers with phone calls, urging them not to support the bill. Some even claimed they couldn't use the app unless they phoned Congress.
Despite this, the road ahead for the legislation is bumpy. Some lawmakers have raised concerns about its constitutionality. Previous attempts to rein in TikTok have also faltered, such as last year's stalled RESTRICT Act. A federal judge even blocked a statewide ban in Montana in November, citing violations of users' free speech rights.
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