The bill targeting Chinese-owned apps will go to the U.S. Senate after passing the House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote.
TikTok has accused lawmakers of trampling on people's free speech rights by introducing a bill that would ban the video-sharing app in the United States unless it is divested from its Chinese owners.
TikTok said in a statement on Sunday: “It's disappointing that the House of Representatives is once again using the cover of critical foreign and humanitarian aid to block a ban that would trample on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans.” Stated.
TikTok issued the statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in a bipartisan vote of 360-58 on Saturday, sending the bill to the Senate.
President Joe Biden has said he would sign any legislation that would be included in a broader package providing aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Under the bill, Chinese company ByteDance would have nine months to withdraw from the app, which could be extended by three months if the president deems progress toward a sale has been made.
Both Republicans and Democrats argue that TikTok threatens national security because it could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans and manipulate public debate.
TikTok insists it does not and will not share any data about its U.S. users with the Chinese government.
Human rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, oppose the proposal on free speech grounds.
A similar bill to force a sale of TikTok passed the House last month but has since been stalled in the Senate.
In 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning TikTok, but the move was blocked by a court on the grounds that it violated free speech and due process rights.
