Senior British MPs have raised concerns about TikTok’s ownership in the UK, after the US House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would ban distribution of the video app unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company.
The legislation still requires approval by the Senate and President Joe Biden’s signature, but if passed, ByteDance would be given 180 days to divest ownership of TikTok to avoid the ban, after the House of Representatives acted on concerns that the company’s ownership structure was a national security risk.
The bill has triggered interventions from the leaders of two UK parliamentary select committees, who have demanded answers from the government about the platform’s future ownership on their side of the Atlantic.