The House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the proposal that would grant President Joe Biden the authority to impose a ban on TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps in the US.
By a vote of 24 to 16, the panel adopted the Deterring America's Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act., according to Engadget.
The House Committee Remains Divided Regarding The Legislation
Along party lines, the bill was approved by the committee, despite Democratic objections to both the bill's procedure and the vast scope of potential sanctions.
The DATA Act would overturn long-standing safeguards that have protected artistic content, including the brief videos on TikTok, from US sanctions for decades.
In its current version, it would also go further than that, requiring the president to impose broad sanctions on businesses based in or under the authority of China.
This will specifically target those that transfer "sensitive personal data" about Americans to individuals or entities there, according to CNBC.
It is important to note that before becoming law, the bill still needs to go through a number of additional stages.
After it has been approved by the committee, the House Republican leadership, which decides which legislation is put to a vote on the House floor, will decide the next steps.
Even so, it represents a significant advancement in the most recent effort to completely outlaw TikTok in the US.
Read More: Government Agencies Have 30 Days To Purge TikTok From Federal Devices
How Could The DATA Act Affect The Future
The DATA Act was just introduced last week by Republican committee head Michael McCaul, who anticipates that the entire house will vote on the measure later this month.
It was unclear when TikTok may be banned, and a spokeswoman for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, did not reply to inquiries.
The legislation would give the president the authority to impose sanctions, including bans, on any company that the Treasury Secretary determines knowingly provides or may transfer information.
This includes sensitive personal data of people subject to United States jurisdiction to any foreign person that is subject to China's jurisdiction or direction, as Engadget notes.
The same holds true for any foreign individual or business that is owned by, directly or indirectly controlled by, or in any other way influenced by China.
Democrats on the Foreign Affairs Committee said that the proposal was too broad, despite Republican lawmakers' ardent support for the measure.
They also contend that it would weaken America's ties to other countries, draw more businesses into China, and result in the loss of American jobs.
Additionally, Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat member, said that the bill would "undercut core American values of free speech and free enterprise."
He noted that the law as it stands would result in sanctions against companies in Taiwan and Korea that provide Chinese enterprises with semiconductors and other parts.
In an effort to avoid a total ban, TikTok has been attempting for years to persuade US officials that it is not a threat to national security.
On March 23, TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to speak before the Energy and Commerce Committee to examine privacy, the app's impact on children, and its ties to China.
Related Article: Canada to Ban TikTok from Government-Issued Devices
