US passes bill to block TikTok or force its sale

Joe Biden has said he would approve the legislation forcing a ban on TikTok unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent, meaning it will soon be law.

The US has passed a bill banning TikTok or forcing its sale. Picture: AFP.

The US Senate has passed legislation to ban or force a sale of TikTok, as the head of the FBI underlined security concerns about the popular Chinese-owned app.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is “beholden to the Chinese government” which is “attempting to steal our AI and hack American technology every day.”

Americans must think of TikTok’s “power, access, capability, control” as being in the hands of the Chinese government and intelligence service, Wray said in an interview with NBC News.

The Senate approved the TikTok measure 79 to 18 as part of a wider package offering aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. The House passed the legislation on Saturday, and Joe Biden has already said he would sign the bill, meaning it will soon be ruled into law.

The package contains a measure to ban TikTok if it doesn’t soon cut ties ByteDance.

The popular app has come under scrutiny from politicians accusing it of being under Chinese government influence, while supporters have decried a ban as a free speech infringement.

The bill would give ByteDance as long as a year to sell TikTok or be banned in the United States, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

Likely buyers for TikTok would be Microsoft or Oracle, the analyst said in a note to investors.

“The broader worry is retaliation from China could come from this forced sale/ban of TikTok and add more pressure for regulatory and geopolitical headwinds US companies face … within mainland China,” Mr Ives added.

Meta is expected to be the biggest beneficiary of a TikTok ban, with fans of the app resorting to Facebook or Instagram.

Speaking to NBC, Mr Wray echoed concerns that TikTok poses a threat to US national security. TikTok has adamantly denied sharing any user information with the Chinese government.