Members of both parties have called for a ban on TikTok on the basis of its Chinese ownership, meaning the company is legally obligated to turn over user data to the Chinese government if asked.

The bill still has to pass the House and Senate before it reaches Biden and officially becomes law. Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul said he expects the entire House to vote on the move this month.

However, Jenna Leventoff, senior policy advisor for the American Civil Liberties Union, criticized the law in a statement.

“We are disappointed that the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to pass a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States, which violates the First Amendment rights of Americans. We urge lawmakers to vote against this unclear, too broad and unconstitutional bill,” he said.

More than 30 US states, Canada and the European Union have separately banned the use of the app on government-owned devices out of concern it could pose a security risk. India banned the app nationwide in January 2021, while Taiwan and Afghanistan followed suit in 2022.

In response, a TikTok spokesperson said banning the app in the US would be “a ban on exporting American culture and values ​​to the one billion people who use our services around the world.” The company has previously denied allegations that they share data with the Chinese government and that your data is not stored in China. It has also denied accusations that it collects more user data than any other social media company and insists that it is run independently by its own management.

However, it seems that the UK has no plans to follow suit at this time. “We have no evidence to suggest there is a need to ban people from using TikTok,” UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan told Politico. “That would be a very, very direct step, which would require a significant evidence base to be able to do that.” [a través de El guardián ]

However, there is evidence that The TikTok algorithm “bombards” teens with self-harm and eating disorder content, according to a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.