ALBAWABA - The United States is applying more pressure on TikTok, with a key House Committee embracing a legislation that would give the White House the authority to ban the social media platform.
The House foreign affairs committee voted to grant the administration of President Joe Biden new powers to outlaw the Chinese-owned app and any others considered as security risk to the United States.
Legislation authorizing Biden to ban TikTok in the US advanced through a key House committee https://t.co/zKW8WvvPpv
— Bloomberg (@business) March 1, 2023
The legislation must pass in the full House and Senate before it goes to the president for endorsement and enactment.
Republican committee chair Michael McCaul described TikTok this week as a "spy balloon in your phone," according to the Guardian.
House committee advances legislation to ban TikTok over security concerns https://t.co/d9IrvQ96uW
— Guardian US (@GuardianUS) March 1, 2023
It said he was referring to the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina last month.
The vote came days after Canada and the United States instructed all government agencies to remove the Chinese video app from the devices that belong to the federal government, attributing their moves to security concerns.
The US has ordered federal agencies to remove the popular video sharing service TikTok from all government devices within 30 days. https://t.co/M071dO8LJI
— VOA Learning English (@VOALearnEnglish) February 28, 2023
The European Commission has also banned TikTok from staff phones.
American politicians supportive of the ban argued that the Chinese government could access user data, or manipulate public opinion.
