Mar 7, 2024,05:03pm EST
A bipartisan measure that could potentially ban the social media giant TikTok moved forward on Thursday as a House committee unanimously advanced a bill. If passed, the legislation would require ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest the app within six months, failing which the app could face a complete ban. Lawmakers are intensifying measures against the widely used app amid concerns over national security.
Key Facts:
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 50-0 to advance the bill, which aims to prevent app stores from listing TikTok unless ByteDance relinquishes control of the platform.
- Lawmakers received a surge of calls from a portion of TikTok’s roughly 170 million U.S. users, who were alerted via the app about Congress’s plans for a TikTok ban and were urged to contact their representatives.
- If the bill is approved by both the House and Senate, it will land on President Joe Biden’s desk. The Biden administration has signaled support for the legislation, despite his reelection campaign’s use of the app.
Key Background:
- TikTok has faced mounting scrutiny in the U.S. due to concerns, particularly regarding ByteDance’s alleged ties to Beijing. In 2022, Congress passed a bill prohibiting TikTok on federal devices over national security concerns.
- At the state level, multiple legislatures have taken steps to limit TikTok’s usage. Last year, Montana passed a ban preventing app downloads, which was later blocked by a federal judge after TikTok sued the state.
- In Arkansas, state officials sued TikTok and Meta (Facebook and Instagram’s parent company) for allegedly deceiving consumers about app content. The state’s attorney general accused TikTok of promoting explicit content to children intentionally.
Counterpoint:
- TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has vehemently denied allegations of data sharing with Beijing, asserting that the company does not spy on Americans and is committed to safeguarding user data. However, lawmakers remain skeptical, and a Forbes report revealed ByteDance’s plans to monitor U.S. users’ locations through the app, a practice Chew contested as not constituting spying.