알파경제 - The House of Representatives has passed a bill that will ban TikTok in the US

TikTok logo. (Photo = Yonhap news)

[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Minyoung] The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a so-called "TikTok-ban bill" amendment that allows platform "TikTok" to be removed from the U.S. App Store.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill at a plenary session on the 20th (local time) with 360 votes in favor and 58 against it. The bill to be sent to the Senate is expected to be put to the Senate vote soon.

The bill, named "Peace through Power in the 21st Century," prevents China's Byte Dance, the parent company of TikTok, from downloading the TikTok app from the U.S. App Store unless it sells the U.S. business rights of TikTok within 270 days.

In fact, it bans TikTok services in the United States. However, if there is progress in the sale, the U.S. president can extend the deadline by 90 days.

TikTok is a platform used by about 170 million people in the United States alone. U.S. politicians have expressed concern that Bytedance is subordinated to the Chinese government and that data from U.S. TikTok users could be handed over to the Chinese government.

TikTok maintains that it has never received the request from the Chinese government and that it will not respond even if it is asked to hand over information.

알파경제 Kim Minyoung (kimmy@alphabiz.co.kr)