The US House of Representatives has passed an amended bill to ban TikTok or force a sale

This afternoon, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that might require TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the favored social media app or face a ban on its use within the United States.

Attempts to block TikTok have returned to the Trump administration, but the issue has resurfaced in recent months. The House already passed a similar bill in March – a bill during which the Senate has shown little interest. This new edition extends ByteDance’s window to sell TikTok to nine months (compared to six months within the previous bill) and in addition gives the president the power to grant a one-time, additional 90-day extension.

The change appears to have satisfied some Senate skeptics. Senate Commerce Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) he told reporters on Thursday that it suggested an extension since it “provides a greater likelihood of divestment.”

The latest bill passed by a 360-58 vote, with strong support from majorities of each Republicans and Democrats. It is an element of a larger package that features foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and was likely included as a way for House Speaker Mike Johnson to attract more conservative support.

The Senate could take up the package in the approaching week, President Joe Biden has said supports the bill and can sign it. If this happens, TikTok is anticipated to challenge the law in court.

The Biden administration has briefed lawmakers on the national security threats posed by the app – each as a source of data on American users for the Chinese government and as a conduit for a similar government to spread propaganda to Americans. Across the aisle, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (Texas) described the app today as a “spying balloon on Americans’ phones” used to “view and exploit America’s personal data.”

When it became clear earlier this week that the TikTok bill was back on the table, the corporate published a statement arguing that the House is “using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian aid to once again push through a ban bill that would trample on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shut down the platform.”

Civil liberties organizations similar to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union have also done so opposed previous attempts to block the applying.