The popular social media app TikTok is in the crosshairs of lawmakers in Congress who are looking at forcing its Chinese owners to sell it or be banned in the United States.
There are approximately 170 million users in the U.S. and it is especially popular among teenagers and young adults.
However, the heads of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have indicated that ByteDance Ltd.'s ownership of TikTok is a threat to U.S. national security.
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is holding a hearing on the issue on Thursday morning and could vote on bipartisan legislation giving ByteDance 165 days to divest from the short video app or face a U.S. ban.
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The bill was sponsored by Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).
They say the bill addresses the immediate national security risks posed by TikTok and establishes a framework for the Biden Administration to "protect Americans from future foreign adversary controlled applications."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a Wednesday briefing that the president supports the legislation.
"This bill is important," Jean-Pierre said. "We don't see this as banning these apps - that's not what this is - but by ensuring that their ownership isn't in the hands of those who may do us harm."
"This is about our national security, obviously, and this is what we're focused on here," Jean-Pierre added. "And we would want to see this bill get done so it can get to the President's desk."
"This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it," a company spokesperson told Reuters. "This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans."
The federal government has already banned TikTok on its equipment due to concerns about the data that is being collected.
That didn't stop the Biden reelection campaign from starting its own TikTok account last month.
When questioned about sending a mixed message, Jean-Pierre responded, "We are going to try to meet the American people where they are."
