US House committee clears bill that could lead to a TikTok ban

The US House approved bill gives President Joe Biden the power to ban the short-video platform TikTok and other Chinese apps in the country.

However, the bill still has to pass through the Senate and the full House for it to become a law, Engadget reported.

The bill, if passed, will give Biden the right to impose sanctions and bans on companies that knowingly provide "or may transfer sensitive personal data of persons subject to United States jurisdiction to any foreign person that is subject to the jurisdiction or direction" and "is owned by, directly or indirectly controlled by, or is otherwise subject to the influence of China", it said.

TikTok on a sad note tweeted it was "disappointed to see this rushed piece of legislation move forward, despite its considerable negative impact on the free speech rights of millions of Americans who use and love TikTok".

The social platform is facing increasing scrutiny around the world owing to its data collections practices.

Canada recently banned TikTok from all government issued devices, so did the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union. India banned the platform in 2020.