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US congressmen back bill on potential TikTok ban

The initiative aims to sever the platform's ties with any "China-controlled entity," including ByteDance

© Grigory Sapozhnikov/TASS

WASHINTON, March 13. /TASS/. The US House of Representatives has backed a bill on a potential ban of the TikTok social network, according to a C-SPAN TV broadcast.

The initiative aims to sever the platform's ties with any "China-controlled entity," including ByteDance, which now owns TikTok. A total of 352 members of the lower house of the US Congress supported the bill, while 65 members opposed it.

The lawmakers propose giving ByteDance six months to sell the social network. In case the company fails to do so, TikTok could be banned in the US. The lower house of the US Congress also considers imposing the same restrictions on any "application controlled by adversaries" in the future.

The bill will now go to the US Senate for consideration. US President Joe Biden has previously said that he would sign the bill if lawmakers approved it.

The TikTok social network, which allows users to upload short videos, was launched globally in August 2018. Previously, US administration representatives said that the Chinese social network was a threat to the US that needed to be eliminated one way or another. According to Washington, Chinese authorities and intelligence services can use TikTok to collect information, including in the United States.

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