US House OKs ban on Tik Tok; already prohibited on Anderson County, fed gov't devices

Rachel Wegner and Donna Smith, The Oak Ridger
·3 min read
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A bill that would ban TikTok in the United States if its parent company does not sell the massively popular social media app passed the U.S. House on Wednesday, but it's not clear if the U.S. Senate will take up the bill.

Tik Tok usage in Oak Ridge, Anderson County

Locally, Anderson County Commission took action last year to prohibit county government employees or contractors working with county government from downloading or using the TikTok app on any county-owned or -leased devices. The approved resolution cites the No TikTok on Government Devices Act approved by the U.S. Senate and the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 that calls for the removal of TikTok from government devices.

The commission approved the resolution "to maintain the cybersecurity of Anderson County government, as is necessary to serve the residents of the county."

TikTok is blocked on the internet-accessing devices of United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), the U.S. Department of Energy's main cleanup federal guidelines enacted in 2023, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.

Oak Ridge government officials have taken no action to block TikTok from internet-accessing devices owned by the city.

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.

Wednesday's vote came amid a lobbying campaign by TikTok that urged users to call their representatives and ask them to vote against the bill. At least some users were met with a full-screen message as they launched the app this week with the same message.

No more TikTok? U.S. House approves bill that would force sale or effectively ban company

How Tennessee's legislators in the House voted

Tennessee has nine representatives in the U.S. House, including eight Republicans and one Democrat. Here's how they voted on H.R. 7521, dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The measure passed in a 352-65 vote, with one representative voting as present and 14 who did not vote.

  • Rep. Tim Burchett, Republican: Yes

  • Rep. Steve Cohen, Democrat: Yes

  • Rep. Scott DesJarlais, Republican: Not voting

  • Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Republican: Yes

  • Rep. Mark Green, Republican: Yes

  • Rep. Diana Harshbarger, Republican: Yes

  • Rep. David Kustoff, Republican: Yes

  • Rep. Andy Ogles, Republican: Not voting

  • Rep. John Rose, Republican: Yes

U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican who represents Tennessee's Third District, which includes Oak Ridge, voted for a potential ban of TikTok. Here he speaks at the TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility (TF3) groundbreaking ceremony at the Horizon Center Industrial Park in Oak Ridge in 2022.
U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican who represents Tennessee's Third District, which includes Oak Ridge, voted for a potential ban of TikTok. Here he speaks at the TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility (TF3) groundbreaking ceremony at the Horizon Center Industrial Park in Oak Ridge in 2022.

See how every representative voted at congress.gov/roll-call-votes.

What's next for the TikTok bill

It's not clear if the U.S. Senate, which is under Democratic control, will take up the bill. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not confirmed if the measure will be considered and said he plans to talk with chairs of senate committees, according to USA TODAY.

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing. While there is a general consensus among U.S. senators that it poses a security risk to the United States, concerns over targeting just one company and controversy over freedom of speech have become a sticking point, USA TODAY reported.

President Joe Biden has also expressed his support for the bill. Former President Donald Trump has stood in opposition to it.

USA TODAY contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: House OKs Tik Tok ban; already off Anderson County, fed devices