TikTok expressed its concerns about a bill passed by the House of Representatives that could potentially ban the popular social media app in the US if Chinese owner ByteDance does not sell its stake within a year. The House passed the legislation on Saturday with a large majority and it will now move to the Senate for further consideration. President Joe Biden has previously indicated he would sign the legislation. Many US lawmakers from both parties, as well as the Biden administration, have raised national security concerns regarding TikTok. They argue that the Chinese government could compel the company to share the data of its 170 million US users. Proponents of the legislation believe that including TikTok in a broader foreign aid package could expedite a potential ban. TikTok responded to the bill, stating that it is unfortunate for the House of Representatives to use important foreign and humanitarian assistance as a cover to infringe on the free speech rights of millions of Americans. Earlier this year, TikTok had criticised an original bill that failed to pass the Senate, stating that it would censor millions of Americans. TikTok has also argued that a state ban on the app in Montana was a violation of the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union has opposed the House bill on grounds of free speech. TikTok maintains that it has never shared US data and never will. Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has argued that TikTok could potentially be used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government, as many young people use the app for news purposes. He believes that granting the Communist Party access to such a large amount of personal data of Americans is a national security risk. However, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, a free speech group, has criticised the bill, stating that it has no real impact, as China and other countries could still purchase Americans’ data from brokers and engage in disinformation campaigns on US-based social media platforms. Some Democrats have also voiced concerns about the ban, citing free speech protections and instead suggesting stronger data privacy legislation. Representative Ro Khanna has suggested that a TikTok ban may not survive legal scrutiny in the courts. The House had previously voted to give ByteDance six months to divest the US assets of TikTok or face a ban. The passed legislation now extends the deadline to nine months, with the possibility of a three-month extension if progress towards a sale is determined by the president. Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has expressed support for the latest bill and had previously requested some revisions in the earlier bill. TikTok was also discussed in a recent call between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Biden raising concerns about the app’s ownership.