TikTok Ban In US: Senate Passes Bill To Protect Americans From Foreign Adversary Applications

Following India's strategy to take on China, the United States has now joined the league to ban Chinese applications. Announcing a ban on TikTok, the US Senate has passed the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," unanimously. 352 lawmakers supported the bill to ban TikTok, while only 65 members voted against the ban in the US House of Representatives.

It is surely a big setback for the video-sharing application as more than 170 million US users are using Tiktok.

Reacting to the big decision by the US Government, TikTok's vice president for public policy, Michael Beckerman said, "This latest legislation being rushed through at unprecedented speed without even the benefit of a public hearing, poses serious Constitutional concerns."

The bipartisan sponsors, Representative Mike Gallagher from the Republican Party and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi from the Democratic Party, along with support from the White House, asserting that the proposed legislation does not constitute a ban on TikTok, provided that the company severs ties with ByteDance.

China issued a warning on Wednesday, cautioning that such actions will have repercussions for the United States.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, criticized the move as "bullying behavior," highlighting that despite the lack of evidence indicating TikTok poses a threat to US national security, the United States continues to exert pressure on the platform.