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House to hold TikTok briefing with intel officials ahead of vote on potential ban

Intelligence officials from the FBI, Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence are scheduled to brief members of Congress about TikTok on Tuesday, a Republican aide told The Hill.

The 1 p.m. press conference was held ahead of an impending floor vote this week on a bill to ban TikTok, the popular social media app owned by China-based ByteDance.

The press conference was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.

It would also establish a process for the president to designate other apps controlled by foreign adversaries.

On Thursday, two days after its introduction, the bill passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on an unusually unanimous 50-0 vote.

But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about the bill. President Trump also voiced opposition to the bill, arguing that it would give a boost to rival Facebook.

Trump unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok in 2020 as president. He plans to run again in 2024.

Left-wing outside groups expressed concern that the ban would violate free speech rights. These concerns were raised by lawmakers when other attempts to ban TikTok were introduced, as well as a bill that specifically named TikTok.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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