A TikTok ban could embolden authoritarian censorship, experts warn

The proposed TikTok ban working its way through Congress could embolden authoritarian censorship abroad, experts warn, and shatter the United States' reputation as an international champion of free speech. The House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act on Wednesday. The bill still needs a Senate vote, and then to be signed by President Joe Biden. If signed into law, ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, would either be forced to sell TikTok, or the app would be banned from app stores, according to the bill's proponents. U.S. officials say the driving motivation to pass such…