US House Passed 'TikTok Ban Bill' for Dealing with 'Foreign-owned Apps Deemed National Security Risk'
The 'Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act' passed by a vote of 352-65, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.
- "The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat," writes APNews.
"House passage of the bill is only the first step. The Senate would also need to pass the measure for it to become law, and lawmakers in that chamber indicated it would undergo a thorough review."
- "President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it."
- The bill also sets up a process for the president to address any future threats from any foreign-owned apps if they are deemed a national security risk.
As written, the bill currently states:
- "It shall be unlawful for an entity to distribute, maintain, or update (or enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of) a foreign adversary controlled application by carrying out, within the land or maritime borders of the United States, any of the following:
- Providing services to distribute, maintain, or update such foreign adversary controlled application (including any source code of such application) by means of a marketplace (including an online mobile application store) through which users within the land or maritime borders of the United States may access, maintain, or update such application.
- Providing internet hosting services to enable the distribution, maintenance, or updating of such foreign adversary controlled application for users within the land or maritime borders of the United States."
- You can track the bill's progress here.
