Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress voted in line with their party's policy on Wednesday to give President Joe Biden the authority to ban the popular Chinese app TikTok.
The law would give the administration new powers to ban the ByteDance-owned app, which is used by more than 100 million Americans, as well as other apps deemed a security risk, according to Reuters. 24 votes were cast in favor while 16 votes were cast against it.
"Anyone who downloads TikTok to their device opens the door to providing all of their personal information to the CCP (Communist Party of China). This is a spy balloon in their phone.
Democrats opposed the bill, saying it was rushed and needed expert consultation.
The bill doesn't specify how the ban would work, but it gives Biden the power to ban any transaction with TikTok, which would result in anyone in the U.S. having access to the app on their phone. or may be prevented from downloading.
TikTok has come under fire in recent weeks over concerns that user data could fall into the hands of the Chinese government, which could harm Western security interests.
The White House this week gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal devices and systems.
More than 30 US states, Canada and European Union policy bodies have also banned the download of Tik Tok on official devices.
The future of the bill is uncertain and faces several hurdles before it becomes law.
The bill would need to pass the full House and the US Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, before going to Biden.
After the vote in favor of the bill, a TikTok spokeswoman said that the US ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the one billion people who use our service around the world.
