(Yicai) March 14 -- TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew said the social media platform will go on fighting legislation that could see it banned in the United States after the bill was passed by the US House of Representatives.

“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” Chew told users on TikTok yesterday. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you. We believe we can overcome this together.”

The House voted 352 to 65 to approve the bill the same day. It still needs to be passed by the US Senate before it can be submitted to President Joe Biden for signing. Chew also visited Congress yesterday in a final lobbying effort, Yicai learned.

“This process was secret, and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it's a ban,” TikTok said. “We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, seven million small businesses, and 170 million Americans who use our service.”

The legislation, known as the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was introduced on March 5 by over a dozen lawmakers, including Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher from Wisconsin and Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois. The bill requires Chinese owner ByteDance to divest control of TikTok within 165 days or face a ban on the platform.

In addition, the bill gives the US president new powers to take action, including bans or restrictions, against social media apps controlled by firms headquartered or registered in certain countries. To avoid being banned, the apps must sever links with their parent companies by selling shares or by other means. The bill would limit ownership of app operators by foreign competing entities to 20 percent.

After the bill was proposed, TikTok urged its users to oppose it. “Prevent TikTok from being shut down. Let Congress know what TikTok means to you, and tell them to vote against it,” a pop-up message said on the app. It also provided users with a "Call Now button.

Editor: Martin Kadiev