The United States House of Representatives has once again taken a decisive step towards possibly banning the popular social media platform TikTok in the nation. Earlier this year, the House had overwhelmingly passed a bill with similar intentions, which subsequently stalled in the US Senate. However, the House has now approved a new bill that could achieve the same outcome if it gets enacted into law.

According to CNN, the latest bill received significant support in the House, with a vote tally of 360-58 in favor. This iteration mandates that ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, divest its interest in the social media service within a timeframe of 270 days. Notably, the previous bill had set a tighter deadline of six months for this sell-off process.

Additionally, the new bill grants US President Joe Biden the authority to extend the sell-off period by an additional 90 days if he determines progress towards reaching a sale agreement. Failure to execute such a sale within the specified timeframe could result in the potential banishment of the TikTok app from US app stores.

Similar to its predecessor, the fresh bill garnered bipartisan backing in the House, driven by concerns among members regarding potential data privacy issues. Many lawmakers fear that ByteDance could collect personal data through TikTok, which might be accessible to and exploited by the Chinese government.

The TikTok bill was bundled into a legislative package by the US House, alongside provisions for military aid to Israel and Ukraine. This combined package has now been dispatched to the US Senate for its consideration. By bundling the TikTok bill with other critical measures, the House aims to compel the Senate to weigh and potentially endorse all these components simultaneously.

CNN's policy analysts suggest that the Senate is likely to expedite the voting process on the package, possibly as early as Tuesday, given the priority assigned to approving military aid to Israel and Ukraine. Paul Gallant, a policy analyst at Cowen Inc, remarked, "We believe TikTok is unlikely to get stripped from the larger package."

Should the US Senate endorse the TikTok bill, it will advance to President Biden for his final approval. President Biden has already expressed his willingness to sign such a bill if it reaches his desk for enactment into law.

Meanwhile, ByteDance has voiced objections to both the earlier bill and the current iteration, citing violations of the First Amendment. In a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account ahead of the new bill's passage in the House, ByteDance expressed disappointment, highlighting concerns about the potential infringement on free speech rights, the adverse impact on millions of businesses, and the disruption to an economy contributing $24 billion annually.

In anticipation of President Biden's potential approval of the bill, ByteDance might resort to legal recourse, possibly filing a lawsuit challenging the legislation on First Amendment grounds, mirroring its actions against a similar bill targeting TikTok's use in Montana.