“Trojan Horse Bill” - Could TikTok Ban Lead To Internet Censorship in the U.S?

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the United States. However, some lawmakers and critics of TikTok see it as a national security threat, arguing that the Chinese government could force the company’s owner, Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd., to share data on American users.

On March 13, the House passed a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban in the U.S. if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stakes in TikTok.

Some social media users claim the legislation is direct government censorship that would give the president extraordinary powers to ban any app deemed a security threat. While others say they got a message from TikTok urging users to call Congress because it plans to shut down the app. Recent online search trends show that many people are wondering what the bill actually does.