Joe Biden has said he will sign a bill that could lead to the sale or banning of TikTok

US President Joe Biden has expressed support for a new bill that could lead to the sale or banning of the popular TikTok app in the United States. The bill, titled "Protecting Americans from apps controlled by foreign adversaries", was introduced this week.

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If the bill passes, TikTok will have a six-month window to separate itself from parent company ByteDance or face an app store-level ban in the United States. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House of Representatives could bring the bill to a vote as early as this Wednesday.

TikTok said the bill is a thinly disguised attempt to ban the app entirely. "This bill has a foregone conclusion: a complete ban of TikTok in the United States," the company said in a statement.

On Thursday, before the committee voted on the bill, the app sent notices urging users to call their representatives and ask them to oppose the legislation. The notifications led to a flood of calls to many congressional offices.

The TikTok app, developed by ByteDance, is partly owned by the Chinese state and has previously been criticised for its links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has been a major cause of concern for the US government. There are fears that China will use the data to its advantage for "espionage" purposes.

However, despite Biden's support, it is unclear how the Senate will feel about the bill. Some prominent senators were a bit more cautious in their comments about whether they would support the bill.

Source: CBS News