In its response, it blasted House lawmakers' fast-tracking of the bill and their decision to hold a closed-door briefing for members last week that highlighted the app's national security concerns.
"This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it's a ban," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. "We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”
10:43 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
House passes bill that could ban TikTok in the US
From CNN's Clare Foran, Haley Talbot and Kristin Wilson
House TV
House lawmakers have passed a bill that could ban TikTok for users in the US.
It’s not yet clear what the fate of the measure will be in the Senate.
The vote was 352-65 with 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voting in opposition. One Democrat voted present.
Passage of the bill through the GOP-controlled House comes as former President Donald Trump has signaled opposition to a ban.
The bill would prohibit TikTok from US app stores unless the social media platform — used by roughly 170 million Americans — is spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
This is a breaking news story, we will bring you the latest updates as we get them.
10:39 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
The House passed a bill that could ban TikTok, but it's not clear what will happen in the Senate
From CNN's Brian Fung
The US House of Representatives voted on legislation that could ban TikTok on Wednesday, a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps used by 170 million Americans, unless it part ways with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Will Lanzoni/CNN
The House passed a bill Wednesday that could ban the video-based social media app TikTok, but the legislation's fate is less than clear in the US Senate, where there is no companion bill.
A bill needs to pass in both the House and the Senate before it would be sent to the president to be signed into law.
The Democratic chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell, has made no firm commitment to advance the proposal.
“I will be talking to my Senate and House colleagues to try to find a path forward that is constitutional and protects civil liberties,” Cantwell said in a statement to CNN last week.
And on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t commit to holding a vote on the House bill.
“Let's see what the House does. I'll have to consult and intend to consult with my relevant committee chairman to see what their views would be,” he said.
Some background on attempts to limit the app: Last year, Senate lawmakers proposed legislation clamping down on TikTok but triggered concerns that it could give the executive branch too much power.
Efforts to ban TikTok date back to the Trump administration, which used a series of executive orders to try to force app stores not to offer TikTok and to compel ByteDance to spin off the company.
Those efforts also stalled amid legal challenges, though it led TikTok to engage in negotiations with the US government about how it could secure Americans’ personal data. Those talks are ongoing, even as TikTok has moved to store US user data on US-based servers controlled by the tech giant Oracle.
10:24 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
Does TikTok really pose a national security threat?
From CNN's Brian Fung
The US House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation that would ban TikTok, a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps used by 170 million Americans, unless it part ways with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Will Lanzoni/CNN
Lawmakers who support Wednesday's bill say China's intelligence laws could allow it to force ByteDance — TikTok's parent company — to hand over TikTok's user data. That data could allegedly be useful to China for identifying intelligence targets or engaging in disinformation campaigns.
"TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is in China," said Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw. "And when you're in China, you have to do whatever the Chinese Communist Party says you have to do. That's according to the national intelligence law passed in 2017. If they want you to spy for them, you will spy for them. That's how that works."
But, they add, the allegations about TikTok as a national security risk remain a hypothetical. The US government has not publicly detailed any specific claim that China has actually accessed TikTok user data.
10:35 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
Voting on bill that could ban TikTok is underway in the House
The US House floor shortly before lawmakers began voting on a bill that could ban TikTok on Wednesday. House TV
Voting is underway on the House's bill that could ban the video-based social media app TikTok.
The ban would pose a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps used by 170 million Americans, unless it parts ways with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
If successful, TikTok would have about five months to separate from ByteDance, or app stores across the US would be banned from hosting it on their platforms.
The vote is happening under an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage, which means it is likely to pass with widespread bipartisan support.
It’s not yet clear what the fate of the measure will be in the Senate. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
We'll bring you the latest updates on the vote as we get them here.
CNN's Clare Foran, Haley Talbot and Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post.
10:06 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
The US and more than half of states have banned TikTok on government devices
From CNN's Brian Fung
Even as House lawmakers debate a broader TikTok ban, the federal government and more than half of US states have already clamped down on the app on official devices.
A CNN analysis last year found that 33 states had taken action to restrict the app on government-owned electronics.
Government agencies are viewed as having more leeway to regulate devices under their direct control. But imposing restrictions on private citizens can raise First Amendment concerns.
10:09 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
TikTok content creator says bill that could ban the platform would influence her vote on Election Day
Summer Lucille. CNN
Summer Lucille, a content creator with over 1.4 million followers on her @JuicyBodyGoddess TikTok account, said how lawmakers vote for the bill that could ban TikTok in the US would directly influence who she casts her ballot for in November.
"You are voting against my First Amendment and my way of freedom of speech; you are voting against my small business. You are voting against me getting a slice of my American pie. So I will have to say this will highly influence who I vote for," she said in an interview on CNN. "Yes, TikTok is that important to me."
The bill would prohibit TikTok from US app stores unless the social media platform — used by roughly 170 million Americans — is spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
It would give ByteDance roughly five months to sell TikTok. If not divested by that time, it would be illegal for app store operators such as Apple and Google to make it available for download.
Lucille said the social media platform "changed my life forever" and has attracted people from all over the US to visit her brick-and-mortar store.
When asked how her business would change if TikTok were owned by an American entity instead of a Chinese company, Lucille responded:
"I believe it would change the dynamics of TikTok. It would change the culture of TikTok. We will be limited to what we can say and limited what we can do, which is against the American way."
She said she doesn't have any concerns about possible Chinese government influence.
9:57 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
House begins to debate TikTok bill
From CNN's Brian Fung
A floor debate over the TikTok legislation has now begun, marking a prelude to the eventual House vote expected at 10 a.m. ET.
Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, a lead co-sponsor of the bill and the ranking member of a House select committee on China, urged his colleagues to support the legislation.
"This bill is not a ban. And it's not about TikTok; it's about ByteDance," Krishnamoorthi said.
Some lawmakers are announcing their position on the bill through videos posted on TikTok, meanwhile.
California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, published a video of a prior television appearance in which he advocated for a national data privacy law that would govern not just TikTok but all tech platforms.
"I will be voting NO on the bill to ban TikTok," the caption on the video said.
New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman posted a TikTok video recorded from the halls of Congress and directly addressing the app's users.
"My colleagues are trying to ban TikTok, which is crazy," Bowman said in the video. "They're doing it because of your pressure, because of your organizing, because of your good work."
10:25 a.m. ET, March 13, 2024
US intel chief says she can't rule out possibility China will use TikTok to influence 2024 elections
From CNN's Sean Lyngaas
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies at a hearing with the House Select Intelligence Committee in the Cannon Office Building on March 12 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
US intelligence officials cannot rule out the possibility that the Chinese government will use TikTok to influence the 2024 US elections, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Haines’ comments — in response to a question from a lawmaker during a House Intelligence Committee hearing — comes as US intelligence agencies raised concerns about the reported use of the TikTok in the 2022 US midterm elections in their Annual Threat Assessment report published on Monday.
“TikTok accounts run by a PRC propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022,” said the report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), using an acronym for the Chinese government.
Tuesday’s testimony before the House panel by senior US intelligence officials came ahead of a high-stakes vote on Wednesday when the Republican-controlled House is slated to consider a bill that would force TikTok to divest from Chinese parent firm ByteDance or face a nationwide ban.
“We regularly take action against deceptive behavior, including covert influence networks throughout the world, and have been transparent in reporting them publicly,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNN. “TikTok has protected our platform through more than 150 elections globally and is continuing to work with electoral commissions, experts, and fact-checkers to safeguard our community during this historic election year.”
US national security officials are preparing for a divisive 2024 US election in which multiple foreign adversaries — from China to Russia to Iran — could try to use social media platforms to interfere with or influence the vote.
