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The US House of Representatives has passed a legislation requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok. The bill garnered approval from over two-thirds of members and is now headed to the Senate.
Reuters news agency reported that 352 members voted in favor of the bill, while 65 House members opposed it. The bill, officially named Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications, prohibits the distribution, maintenance, or updating of an app in the US if it is controlled by a "foreign adversary" and exceeds a certain threshold of monthly users. While TikTok is singled out in the bill, it will encompass other apps deemed to be managed by 'foreign adversaries' by American lawmakers.
Apps meeting the specified criteria must be divested from their parent companies within 165 days. Failure to do so will result in a ban on the app in the US. This bill aims to enhance the country's 'national security', as per American politicians. President Joe Biden expressed support for the proposal over the weekend. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as per a report by CNN, stated that there is no evidence that TikTok poses a threat to US national security.
English (US)