US TikTok Ban Moves a Step Closer, with Biden Given Approval to Rule on the App
More bad news for TikTok, with the US House Foreign Affairs Committee today voting to give President Joe Biden the power to ban the Chinese-owned app, if he deems such a move necessary, amid ongoing security discussions around its potential connection to the CCP.
The White House has already announced a full ban of TikTok on government-owned devices, following similar moves in over 30 US states. EU and Canadian officials have also followed suit, banning the app on all official devices, as tensions between China and the west continue to simmer, largely tied back to the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier last month, the US ordered a Chinese balloon to be shot down, amid concerns that it was being used to spy on the US and Canada, while rumors of China’s continued support for Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have also put it on a collision course with western governments.
Within this, TikTok has become a bigger focus. And while the app has been under CFIUS review for almost two years, discussions around its future are now accelerating, which could see it banned outright in the US sometime soon.
TikTok responded to the news with this statement:
