Washington, April 24 (UNI) The US Senate gave its nod to a bill that could see TikTok banned in America over national security fears, news reports said Wednesday. The bill will soon be with US President Joe Biden, who has vowed to sign as soon as it reaches his desk.
TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has been given nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States. The bill reached the Senate after being approved by the House of Representatives.
The US is concerned TikTok, which has over 170 million users across the country, could be used to spy on Americans, or to spread propaganda.
America though is not the first to move a ban against TikTok. In 2020, India also banned TikTok along with several other Chinese apps following the Galwan clashes with the Chinese military.
The BBC said on Wednesday said that TikTok did not have an immediate response to the US move. Bytedance had earlier said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok.
Experts though believe it could take years before the app is blocked in the US as legal action from ByteDance would delay the process.
