On March 13, 2024, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill that meant that banned TikTok, owned by ByteDance, the enterprise of Chinese data technology, was expelled and passed by the United States House of Representatives. The bill said that ByteDance must sell its shares within six months from the date of enforcement, and if it does not sell, TikTok cannot be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. The Senate should pass the bill to be implemented, but this is the first time in history that a mobile application has been expelled from the United States House of Representatives. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate before it can become law. However, this is the first time that the U.S. Congress has voted to ban a mobile app.

▲ TikTok Office in California, U.S.A (Photo From Newsis)

   First, let’s look at the U.S. stance. There are about 170,000 TikTok users in the U.S. The dangers of TikTok, which is used by so many people, have been constantly raised in the U.S. The reason was that TikTok was considered highly likely to hand over U.S. users’ information to the Chinese Communist Party because ByteDance, a Chinese company, owned it. As a result, in 2020, President Donald Trump tried to force TikTok to sell its business rights in the U.S. to an American company, but it failed. The U.S. has grown increasingly concerned about the potential security risks posed by TikTok, currently used by over 170 million Americans. These concerns stem from the fact that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. U.S. officials worry that the Chinese government could pressure ByteDance to hand over user data, which could potentially compromise national security. This concern then led President Donald Trump to attempt to force the sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to an American company in 2020, but the effort was unsuccessful. Mike Gallagher, the speaker of the House of Representatives who proposed the “TikTok Ban Bill,” said, “The purpose of the bill is to separate TikTok from the Chinese Communist Party, which is a common-sense measure for national security.” Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, pointed out that the Chinese government would not allow its citizens to use American platforms such as X, Instagram, and Google. China strongly protested the bill. A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry claimed that the “TikTok Ban Bill” violates fair competition principles and international trade rules. In particular, he criticized, “It is not a just way to oppress excellent companies in other countries on the grounds of national security.”

▲ A Picture Expresses the TikTok Ban Bill (Photo From Shutterstock)

   The TikTok bill has been passed in the House of Representatives, but it is still unclear whether it will be legislated because the Senate has yet to have conclusive opinions. Opinions are not concluded in the Senate. Hence, it remains to be seen whether it will work. Moreover, some analysts said that it greatly affects the economy for small business owners who use TikTok services. It may affect the presidential election because most of the younger generation uses it. Several factors could affect the bill's passage, including the impact on small businesses that use TikTok and the potential impact on the upcoming presidential election. In addition, it must be considered whether TikTok can be sold even after the bill is implemented, as it is hard to find a buyer for TikTok.