TikTok is one step closer to being blocked in the US

TikTok is one step closer to being banned in the US. The House of Representatives gave half approval to legislation that would block the social network unless it cuts ties with ByteDance, its Chinese parent company. The vote was overwhelming and was decided by 362 votes to 65, which was no surprise.

Let’s remember that last week the Energy and Commerce Committee passed the bill under consideration by 50 votes to zero. TikTok learned that the most likely scenario is a negative result in the House of Representatives. The real problem will come when the Senate is scheduled to vote on the issue..

According to what representatives approved this Wednesday, TikTok will be sold to ByteDance within 180 days of the law coming into force.. Otherwise, the popular social network will be blocked in the United States, where it currently has about 170 million users.

Now all eyes will be on what senators decide on this legislation. It is important to note that the President of North America, Joe Bidenhas already announced that he will sign the bill if it receives final approval from Congress.

Although what happened in the House of Representatives was expected, TikTok did not miss the opportunity make your dissatisfaction public. “We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to its constituents and understand the consequences [del bloqueo] the economy, the 7 million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” the company said.

Alternatives to TikTok if the Senate approves the bill

The main purpose pursued by US law is that TikTok is cutting ties with China. This in itself is nothing new, as lawmakers have been considering this option for several years. US politicians have warned in the past that ByteDance needs to divest itself of the social network or face a nationwide ban.

The possibility that TikTok could be put up for sale has already caused quite a stir in the US. In fact, this week it became known that Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, will be one of those interested in buying it. The businessman would have already contacted the Chinese firm to inquire about the terms of the hypothetical acquisition, and would even invite other tech leaders, including Sam Altman, to accompany him.

However, selling TikTok is ByteDance’s last resort. The company hopes that the votes in the Upper House will be much more equal than in the House of Representatives. And some senators have already threatened to block the law. Even if Donald Trump He was against the video platform veto, although he himself promoted something similar during his presidency.

As it recently became known, if the bill is approved in the Senate and receives Joe Biden’s signature, TikTok will challenge its legality based on the First Amendment to the US Constitution. So you could argue that its forced sale would be a violation of freedom of expression.