ieExplains: Is the US really preparing to ban TikTok?

A bill passed Wednesday by the US House of Representatives requiring TikTok owner ByteDance to sell or face a US ban is most existential threat yet

Is a TikTok ban in the US likely? It faces an uphill battle. Picture: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would require TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States.

The legislation now moves to the Senate, where its likelihood of passing is uncertain. But with a landslide of support in the House — 352 Congress members voted in favor of the bill and only 65 voted against — it’s clear that TikTok is facing its biggest existential threat yet in the US.