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The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a Bill on March 13 that would give TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets of the short-video app used by about 170 million Americans or face a ban. The Bill was passed 352-65, with bipartisan support.  But it faces a more uncertain path in the Senate where some favour a different approach to regulating foreign-owned apps that could pose security concerns.  Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not indicated how he plans to proceed. TikTok called the Bill a “ban” and urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action. “This process was secret and the Bill was jammed through for one reason: It’s a ban.  “We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realise the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service,” a TikTok spokesperson said. TikTok’s fate has become a major issue in Washington.  Democratic and Republican lawmakers said their offices had received large volumes of calls from teenage TikTok users who oppose the legislation, with the volume of complaints at times exceeding the number of calls seeking a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The measure is also the latest in a series of moves in Washington to respond to US national security concerns about China, from connected vehicles to advanced artificial intelligence chips to cranes at United States ports.  The vote came just over a week after the Bill was proposed, and following one public hearing with little debate.  In February, US President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign joined TikTok, raising hopes among TikTok officials that legislation would be unlikely in 2024. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce last week voted 50-0 in favour of the Bill, setting it up for a vote before the full House.  Meanwhile, TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi was to visit Capitol Hill on March 13 on a previously scheduled trip to talk to senators, a source briefed on the matter said.  The company said before the vote: “This legislation has a predetermined outcome – a total ban of TikTok in the United States.” It added: “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression.”  Mr Biden said last week that he would sign the Bill. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on March 12 that the goal was ending Chinese ownership, not banning TikTok. “Do we want TikTok, as a platform, to be owned by an American company or owned by China? Do we want the data from TikTok – children’s data, adults’ data – to be staying here in America or going to China?” he said. It is unclear if China would approve any sale or whether TikTok’s US assets could be divested in six months.  If ByteDance failed to do so, app stores operated by Apple, Alphabet’s Google and others would not be able to legally offer TikTok or provide Web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications. In 2020, then President Donald Trump sought to ban TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat but was blocked by the courts. In recent days he has instead raised concerns about a ban. It remains unclear if Tencent’s WeChat or other high-profile Chinese-owned apps could face a ban under the legislation. Any forced TikTok divestment would almost certainly face legal challenges, which the company would need to file within 165 days of the Bill being signed by the President.  In November 2023, a US judge blocked a Montana state ban on TikTok use after the company sued.  China had earlier reacted angrily to the planned US House vote by calling it an “act of bullying”.  It warned that banning TikTok would “inevitably come back to bite the US”. Source: