US Votes on Legislation to Ban TikTok
Just a few days ago, lawmakers in the United States proposed legislation that would ban TikTok in the country, unless the app severs ties with its parent company, ByteDance, from China within six months.
The new legislation, called the Protecting Americans from Foreign-Controlled Apps Act, calls for the ban of TikTok and any “successor apps” developed by ByteDance, unless the Chinese technology conglomerate divests its ownership stake in these apps.
If divestment does not occur within 180 days after the legislation is officially enacted, TikTok and its sister apps such as Lemon8 and CapCut will be removed from all app stores in the US, including the App Store and Google Play Store.
Just two days after the Protecting Americans from Foreign-Controlled Apps Act was announced by Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher and Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the urgent national security threat posed by TikTok. Following a closed-door session with intelligence officials regarding TikTok and its ownership in China, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee also unanimously approved the legislation.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise stated that the House will vote on this important legislation next week. If passed by the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate and then to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. In the meantime, the White House has also signaled its support for this legislation.
In a recent statement, TikTok, the popular social media app, called on its US users to represent themselves to the US Congress and explain the significance of TikTok to them. TikTok encouraged US users to vote “NO” on the proposed legislation.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the chairwoman of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee, dismissed TikTok’s message to US users as an effort to “manipulate Americans.” She noted that this is just a small part of how China weaponizes apps to manipulate millions of Americans for their own purposes.
“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a complete ban of TikTok in the United States. The US government is trying to strip away the freedom of speech of millions of Americans. This will harm millions of businesses, audiences, artists, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country,” TikTok stated in a press release on March 7.
Business Today is closely monitoring developments in this legislation. Stay tuned for further updates on the fate of TikTok in the United States.