Congressional lawmakers are
continuing their efforts to pressure ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to
divest the popular social media platform due to national security concerns. The
House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently voted unanimously, 50-0, on a
bipartisan bill called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary
Controlled Applications Act.
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| Image via 'Getty Images' |
This bill aims to block social media applications controlled by U.S. adversaries and considered a national security threat unless they sever ties with their foreign owners. If passed into law, the bill would compel ByteDance to divest TikTok.
The White House has also endorsed
the bill.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair
of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and one of the bill's
authors, labeled TikTok a threat to U.S. national security during a press
conference introducing the bill on Wednesday.
"If you value your personal freedom and privacy online, if you care
about America’s national security at home, and, yes, even if you want TikTok to
stick around in the United States — this bill offers the only real step towards
each of these goals," Gallagher stated.
TikTok has faced scrutiny from U.S. politicians due to a legal obligation for Chinese companies and those operating in China to provide data to the government upon request. The company has consistently denied posing a risk to U.S. security.
If Congress passes the bill,
ByteDance would have six months to divest TikTok to prevent the app from being
banned from online stores and web hosting services in the U.S.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.),
who collaborated with Gallagher on the bill, clarified that the intention is
not to restrict TikTok.
"We urge ByteDance to sell TikTok so that its American users can enjoy
their dance videos, their bad lip-synching, and everything else that comes with
TikTok," Krishnamoorthi stated.
However, TikTok views the bill as
an outright ban, regardless of the authors' attempts to disguise it.
A spokesperson for the platform told HuffPost: "This legislation will violate the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs."
The Biden administration previously
attempted to pressure TikTok to separate from its Chinese ownership. The
Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. reportedly warned the platform in
2023 that it must either be sold to an American company or face a nationwide
ban. However, discussions between CFIUS and TikTok seem to have stalled over
the past year.
White House press secretary Karine
Jean-Pierre praised the bill on Wednesday as "important," stating that the administration's focus is on
ensuring that platforms like TikTok are not controlled by individuals who
intend to harm Americans.
"We welcome it," Jean-Pierre said. "We would like to see this bill passed so it can reach the president's desk."
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's
official campaign recently joined TikTok to connect with voters ahead of the
November general election.
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