Is TikTok Getting Banned In the U.S.? Here's What We Know So Far The House passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the country that uses it the most.

Update: Senators are already indicating support or opposition to the bill, with John Fetterman (D-PA) committing to vote yes to the potential ban and Mike Lee (R-UT) deciding to vote against it.

It's unclear whether the Senate will vote on the bill before a two-week recess at the end of March. TikTok is expected to challenge the bill in court if it is signed into law.

Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA) released a joint statement supporting the bill.

My statement with @SenMarcoRubio on House passage of the legislation to protect Americans from foreign adversary controlled apps. pic.twitter.com/2tI0q1hCuR

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) March 13, 2024

Original story from March 13:

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the country that uses it the most.

The vote passed 352-65, with 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voting against it. One Democrat voted present.

The bipartisan bill, called the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," now moves to the Senate, where its fate is unclear. If it reaches the desk of President Joe Biden, he is likely to sign it, as per his previous remarks.

Related: TikTok CEO Testifies in House Hearing: We Are Building 'Firewall' Around U.S. Data

If passed, the bill would require TikTok to separate from its parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, within 6 months or face the consequence of being blocked from U.S. app stores.

^{Tik Tok CEO, Shou Chew is seen during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with representatives of social media companies at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)}

Lawmakers have repeatedly scrutinized TikTok's ties to the Chinese government through ByteDance over the possibility that China could access the data of millions of Americans and that its current ownership structure could make it a national security threat.

"Today we will send a clear message that we will not tolerate our adversaries weaponizing our freedoms against us," said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).

Some lawmakers, however, including Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), aren't convinced that TikTok is an immediate threat.

"This idea that we're going to ban, essentially, entrepreneurs, small business owners, the main way how young people actually communicate with each other is to me insane," Garcia told AP.

Related: TikTok's CEO Is an Honorary Chair at the 2024 Met Gala

TikTok has repeatedly denied that it is sharing American data with China. The company also launched a lobbying campaign against the bill, which Rodgers called out as an example of the company using "its influence and power to force users to contact their representatives."

"We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. The company's previous statements point to the right to free expression and the response from constituents over a potential ban.

TikTok became available in the U.S. in 2018 and has since amassed more than 170 million American users. That makes the U.S. the country with the largest TikTok audience in the world, according to Statista estimates.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress for the first time in March and talked about the need for "clear, transparent rules that apply broadly to all tech companies."

Related: A Judge Blocked a U.S. State's Attempt to Ban TikTok for All Residents — Here's Why

The bill now moves to the Senate.

"The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a brief statement.