Τhe U.S. House of Representatives adopted a bill with a vote of 352 in favor and 65 against, proposing a ban on TikTok in the United States unless the social media platform severs all ties with its parent company ByteDance and, more broadly, with China. This development marks a significant shift for the platform, which did not seem threatened just a few days ago, even though the outcome of the forthcoming Senate vote remains uncertain.

Leaders of both the Democratic and Republican Parties of the Senate Intelligence Committee expressed encouragement over the bill's passage in the House. "We look forward to working together to get this bill through the Senate and signed into law," stated Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the Democratic Chair and Republican Vice Chair of the Committee, respectively, in a joint statement.

TikTok criticized the bill approved by the House of Representatives as a "ban" and urged U.S. senators to consider their voters' opinions before taking any action. "The process was secretive, and the bill was blocked for one sole reason: it's a ban. We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their voters, and realize the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service," said a TikTok spokesperson.

This is the first time a U.S. Congress bill would ban an online application. Many American lawmakers view TikTok as a threat to national security, fearing the Chinese government could request access to TikTok's user data in the United States or somehow force the company to promote China's agenda. TikTok has repeatedly stated that the Chinese government has never made such demands.

President Biden has declared he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk, even though his election campaign recently launched a TikTok account, @bidenhq, last month during the Super Bowl Sunday. In 2022, Biden approved measures banning TikTok on more government devices.

If signed into law, this legislative measure is expected to face legal challenges, possibly including one from TikTok itself. Previous U.S. attempts to ban TikTok have so far failed, as courts have ruled that the legal challenges presented only hypothetical national security risks instead of concrete evidence that TikTok has shared data with Chinese authorities.

A U.S. ban on TikTok could exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and China. Chinese officials have stated that the government would "decisively oppose" any forced sale of TikTok, arguing that it would "seriously undermine the confidence of investors from various countries, including China, in investing in the United States." According to China's Ministry of Commerce, the sale of TikTok's ownership by ByteDance would constitute a technology export and require government approval.