TikTok may be one of the most popular social networks in the United States, but many in the US government view it as a national security risk And now the app is one step away from being banned

The US House of Representatives today (March 13) overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make it illegal for TikTok to operate in the United States unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells its interest in the service The bill next moves to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain President Joe Biden has indicated that he will sign the bill if it is approved by Congress

It was not surprising that the House of Representatives supported the bill almost across the board Only 65 House members voted against the bill, far more than the 352 House members who voted for it And the proponents were so confident that the bill would pass easily that they issued a "suspension of the rules" to move the bill quickly to a vote

Needless to say, this is an alarming situation for both TikTok and its many users However, there is much to keep in mind about the potential ban and the many implications surrounding it

TikTok and its parent company have strenuously denied any involvement with the Chinese government, but many US lawmakers do not believe them

ByteDance and TikTok are China-based companies; according to a 2022 BuzzFeed article, ByteDance intentionally misled US government officials were deceived Instead, the data was managed by Chinese engineers with possible ties to the Chinese government

Lawmakers have argued that the Chinese government could have taken that user data and used it in a variety of malicious ways, potentially jeopardizing national security

In addition, TikTok has been accused by some members of Congress of engaging in propaganda, and they further claim that the Chinese government can unilaterally influence TikTok's algorithm and affect what American users see

The House bill is called the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Control Applications Act" The bill specifically mentions TikTok, but does not ban the social network alone Instead, it bans any application that the government determines is controlled by a "foreign enemy" The ban will take effect 165 days after the bill is passed, unless the government controlling the app gives up its stake by then

To "ban" an app, the bill requires app store operators, including Apple and Google, to remove the app in question (in this case TikTok) from their marketplaces by the 165th day

TikTok has denied the allegations supporting the ban for some time, but has now doubled down on its defense In response to the House's latest move, TikTok called the House vote a mistake that could harm the US economy

"There is only one reason why this process was done in secret and the bill was forced to be voted on We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to its constituents, and recognize the impact on our economy, our 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our services"

TikTok even used its own app to complain about the proposed ban, prompting some American users to contact their legislators with complaints; TikTok even asked users for their zip codes and provided the names and phone numbers of local legislators [After the bill is passed by the House, it will move to the Senate, where senators will debate the bill and eventually bring it up for a vote It is unclear how the bill will fare on the Senate floor, but given the strength of support in the House, there is a good chance that it will pass

If the bill does indeed pass the Senate, President Joe Biden will head to the White House to sign it

From the outset, President Biden made it clear that he would sign the bill if it reached his desk, effectively banning TikTok in the US

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate in this year's presidential election, had also supported the ban, but reversed his stance Trump told CNBC that the TikTok ban would give meta an unfair advantage

Here's where it gets interesting

If the Senate passes the bill and the president signs it, technically ByteDance would have to sell its TikTok stake or face a ban after 165 days However, there are perhaps three possible ways this could play out

One case is that TikTok accepts the ban and becomes inaccessible in the US

In another, ByteDance sells its shares to a company more acceptable to the US government; ByteDance and the Chinese government are currently saying they are not open to that possibility, but the reality is that TikTok has significant value and ByteDance may be willing to cash in Maybe It is unclear who would buy TikTok, but this is not an unlikely scenario

The third and final scenario is a long-term standoff with the US government, in which TikTok has the option of appealing the law and entering a long legal battle to maintain access to the platform This is perhaps the most likely scenario and ensures that TikTok will remain under Chinese control and available in the US for the foreseeable future