| The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill this week that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its Beijing-based owner, ByteDance, finds a buyer for the app. The bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Lawmakers say the app poses a national security risk. But is that the case? Here's everything you need to know: 📱 To date, lawmakers have not offered any evidence of the Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans or push pro-China propaganda.
📱 Critics of the ban say it would be ineffective because China can easily obtain information about Americans through data aggregators and data brokers.
📱 Still, ByteDance admitted in 2022 that former employees — not government officials — have used the app to surveil Americans.
📱 TikTok says Americans' data is transferred to servers owned by an Austin-based company and monitored by U.S. third-party auditors. But under Chinese law, companies still have to turn over personal user data if government officials seek it. | 
