House panel unanimously approves bill that could ban TikTok from all US phones and tablets if enacted, per CNN.
The legislation, which passed unanimously through the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would require TikTok to be spun off from its parent company, ByteDance, which has ties to China, if it wants to remain available in US app stores. This measure would give ByteDance around five months to sell TikTok, after which it would be illegal for app stores like Apple and Google to offer it for download. The bill also considers similar restrictions for other apps controlled by foreign adversary companies.
The move represents one of the most aggressive actions against TikTok by a congressional committee since CEO Shou Chew testified last year that the app doesn't pose a threat to Americans.
"This legislation represents a critical step toward creating overdue laws to safeguard Americans from the dangers posed by apps controlled by our adversaries, sending a clear message that the US will always defend our values and freedom," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the committee's chair.
Rep. Frank Pallone, the committee's ranking Democrat, likened the bill to past efforts to regulate US airwaves, citing national security officials' testimony from a closed-door hearing.
The bill, introduced with bipartisan support by Rep. Mike Gallagher, chair of the House select committee on China, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, ranking member of that committee, also has the backing of the White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Its fate in the Senate is uncertain.
In the same session, House lawmakers unanimously advanced a second bill that would restrict US companies' ability to sell Americans' personal information to foreign adversaries, citing national security concerns.
TikTok has responded to the legislation by serving some users with pop-ups in the app warning of the bill's potential impact on free expression. The company's message urges users to contact their members of Congress to voice opposition to the bill.
Despite criticism that lawmakers may not fully understand the technology they're regulating, Rep. Dan Crenshaw defended the legislation as not a ban on TikTok but a requirement for ByteDance to sever its ties with the Chinese Communist Party for TikTok to continue operating in the US.
