New developments have occurred in the U.S. government’s effort to ban TikTok, when on Saturday House lawmakers approved a bill targeting the app as part of a cohesive aid package. The bipartisan vote of 360-58 marks the most significant move the government have taken to ban the app.
According to CNN, policy analysts have anticipated to take the aid package and expedite the process in passing the legislation. Some analysts such as Paul Gallant Cowmen Inc. predicts an 80% chance of passing in the Senate. President Joe Biden has previously said he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk. The new version of the bill, if signed would give TikTok 270 days to find a new owner from its current ownership by ByteDance. This will also give the White House the option to extend the deadline another 90 days if the president determines there’s progress towards transaction of the app.
The advancement of the TikTok bill shows how policy priorities outside the company’s control have shifted and could result in a crippling outcome for the app that is used and beloved by many young Americans. TikTok has vocally expressed its opposition towards the bill. For weeks, the company has waged an intense lobbying campaign in an effort to thwart the legislation. Proclaiming the ban of the social media app would be violation of its users’ First Amendment rights and would hurt small businesses who depend on the app for promotion. The company has implied that it could sue the House’s legislation to block the bill’s advancement, assuring its user base that it will continue fighting to ensure the bill is defeated.
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