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Date: April 22, 2024

The US House of Representatives has finally got approval through unanimous voting to ban TikTok in the USA, removing nearly 170 million users from the app.

TikTok has been making rounds on the internet for its controversial ownership by the Chinese government. One of the largest social media platforms, TikTok, is owned by ByteDance, which also has the Chinese government as its stakeholder. This ownership can pose a lethal risk to over 170 million app users based in the USA as critical data capable of crippling the US systems can be leaked through the app. As a result, US lawmakers have approved a TikTok ban in the USA region, impacting access to the application for all.

The US House of Representatives has finally passed legislation after the lawmakers approved a hot-button bill that received 360-58 bipartisan votes. The bill passed by the house resembles another notification sent to the TikTok app in March this year, which demanded immediate separation from ByteDance.

The latest move by House Republicans is to attach the bill funding Ukrainian military equipment and Israeli missile defense. The vote was kept simple and clear, with only two options: up and down, meaning up in agreement with the ban and down in disagreement. President Joe Biden had previously said that he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reaches his desk, With the likely turn of events, the approval may not take much time.

US Officials consider TikTok's prevalence in the USA a national security risk, and the recent fast-tracking of the case signifies the importance of understanding TikTok’s privacy statements. While the world is struggling to understand if their beloved app is dangerous to them, the official authorities have decided on the next plan of action.

“It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually,” TikTok said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Users can either wait for the final implementation or start shifting to the best TikTok alternatives to keep enjoying the type of content they do on the app now. Meanwhile, TikTok has said that it can block the legislation with plans to continue fighting for right to access digital information.

By Arpit Dubey

Arpit is a dreamer, wanderer, and a tech nerd who loves to jot down tech musings and updates. With a logician mind, he is always chasing sunrises and tech advancements while secretly preparing for the robot uprising.