Lawmakers on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 to approve the measure.
Before long, President Joe Biden could have the power to ban any citizen from using TikTok within the United States. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 to approve the bill giving the administration new powers over the ByteDance social network, used by more than 100 million Americans.
The approved bill does not clearly specify how the TikTok ban would be carried out, but it does give Biden the power to ban any transactions with the app, which could prevent U.S. users from accessing or downloading the app on their devices.
However, the fate of the measure remains uncertain, as for it to become law, it would have to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, both controlled by Democrats, before it could be made official by Biden.
TikTok, the U.S. and Joe Biden
Concerns about the security of TikTok user data have increased in recent weeks, as there are fears that this data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, which could undermine Western security interests.
In addition, the bill would require President Biden to impose a ban on any entity that has the ability to transfer sensitive personal data to an entity subject to China’s influence.
Although the Biden administration has not stated its position on the bill, it has previously expressed concerns about apps such as TikTok. On the other hand, Democrats have opposed the measure, arguing that due diligence should be conducted through debate and consultation with experts before passing it.