The TikTok ban has passed in the House of Representatives and could become law in the coming days

Today, the US took one step closer to banning TikTok. Legislation that would require ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok in order to maintain a presence in the US has again passed the House of Representatives. The bill has now been sent to the Senate, included in the Ukraine and Israel aid package.

Here's What We Know

The Senate is expected to vote in favour of the bill next week and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it once it reaches his desk. TikTok is now one step closer to a ban in the US if parent company ByteDance decides not to give up its stake. The ban could go into effect as soon as the next few days.

The bill was passed after 360 representatives voted in favour of the ban and 58 voted against it. The bill will now need to get the approval of the Senate and the president for it to become law. It will go before the Senate next week as part of a critical aid package for Ukraine and Israel.

The ban is linked to concerns from both parties about TikTok's ties to China. There are concerns that China could use the app to spread propaganda to American audiences. There are also concerns about the vast amount of data being collected on millions of American users. If the bill becomes law, ByteDance will have two options: sell TikTok or end its presence in the US.

Source: NBC News