Western officials have expressed concern over TikTok’s growing popularity among youth, claiming the platform is controlled by Beijing and used as a propaganda tool. Bytedance, the company’s owner, has refuted these accusations.

A possible US app ban, according to TikTok, would “trample the free speech” of 170 million people.

On Saturday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill banning TikTok if its owner did not sever its connections with China.

The bill, which could become law as early as next week, was a part of a US foreign policy package that also contained funding for Ukraine.

US officials have expressed concern in recent months regarding TikTok’s growing appeal among youth.

They claim Bytedance, the owner of TikTok, is Beijing’s puppet; Bytedance has refuted these claims on numerous occasions.

Legislators adopted a package that included the TikTok legislation and would have sent $61 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, along with funding for Israel and Taiwan.

First, the House of Representatives voted 360 to 58 in favour of the revised divest-or-ban bill, which addressed TikTok’s future.

US President Joe Biden has previously stated that he will sign the measure, and the Senate is anticipated to vote on the package next week.

Bytedance will be banned if the bill is passed and will have nine months to sell its interest, with the possibility of a three-month extension during the selling process.

“Would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion (£19.4 billion) to the US economy annually,” a TikTok spokeswoman said in a statement opposing the bill.

As stated by TikTok, ByteDance “is not an agent of China or any other country”. ByteDance also maintains that it is not a Chinese company, citing the several international investment entities that hold 60% of the company.

The US House of Representatives voted in March to restrict the TikTok app in the US or give ByteDance six months to sell the app to non-Chinese owners. However, the bill still needs Senate approval.

ByteDance, a Chinese startup founded in 2012, made its big break in China with the short video app Douyin. An international version, TikTok, was released a year later.

Despite being prohibited in China, the social media app amassed one billion users in just five years.

While it is presently managed by a limited liability corporation with offices in Singapore and Los Angeles, ByteDance still holds the majority stake.

Even though its founders only own 20% of ByteDance, they hold the majority share of the business. Institutional investors, comprising prominent US investment firms like General Atlantic, Susquehanna, and Sequoia Capital, own around 60% of the company.

The remaining twenty percent is held by worldwide employees. Its five-member board includes three Americans.

However, Beijing’s recent grasp over private businesses has the US concerned about the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s control over ByteDance and the data it contains.

China has warned that a TikTok ban will “inevitably come back to bite the US” and rejected these worries as paranoid American fears.

In order to address security concerns, TikTok has been sending all US user data through the Texas-based software firm Oracle since 2022.

TikTok has emphasised that US data will be housed on US Oracle servers and will be ringfenced.

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi stated that they wanted the app to stay active prior to the vote on Saturday.

“I think that it still has a lot of good content,” he said. “But most important thing is that it’s not under the control or operation of an aversary country.”

(Adapted from BBC.com)