of House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States.
The vote was a landslide, with 352 members of Congress voting in favor and only 65 voting against.The bill passed unanimously and was quickly put to a vote. approved The commission last week gave China-based ByteDance 165 days to withdraw from TikTok. Otherwise, app stores, including the Apple App Store and Google Play, would be legally prohibited from hosting TikTok or providing web hosting services to ByteDance-managed applications.
The vote in the House represents the most concrete threat to the United States. tick tock A political battle continues over allegations that the China-based company collects sensitive user data and potentially censors content politically. TikTok has repeatedly said it does not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government.
Despite these discussions, TikTok faced the following issues: tried Banned by Donald Trump in 2020, state level ban Passed in Montana in 2023.Courts blocked both of these bans on First Amendment violations, and Trump has since reversed His position is currently against banning TikTok.
According to Reuters, the Treasury Department-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in March 2023 required ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok or face the possibility of banning the app. No measures have been taken.
The bill’s future is less uncertain in the Senate. Some Senate Democrats have publicly opposed the bill, citing free speech concerns, and have proposed measures that address concerns of foreign influence across social media without specifically targeting TikTok. “Social media regulation is necessary, but it needs to be applied across the board,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner Who proposed another bill? Last year, he introduced a bill that would give the White House new powers over TikTok. He said he would “carefully consider this bill,” although he had “some concerns about the constitutionality of the approach of naming specific companies.” Ta.
The White House supports the bill, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration “looks forward to passing this bill so it can reach the president’s desk.”
The bill’s authors argue that it would give ByteDance the opportunity to sell TikTok and circumvent the block in the U.S., not a ban. Rep. Mike Gallagher, Republican chairman of the House China Select Committee, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy, the committee’s top Democrat, will address national security concerns posed by Chinese ownership of the app. I have submitted a bill for this purpose.
“As long as we have that separation, TikTok can survive and people can do whatever they want with it,” Gallagher said, appealing to US ByteDance investors: support sales. “This is not a prohibition. Think of it as a surgery aimed at removing the tumor and thereby saving the patient.”
TikTok, which has 170 million users in the United States, insisted otherwise, saying it was unclear whether China would approve the sale or that it could happen within six months.
“This bill has a predetermined outcome: a complete ban on TikTok in the United States,” the company said after the committee vote. “The government is trying to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression. will destroy the lives of its creators.”
After the committee passed the bill, officials complained that Congress was flooded with calls from TikTok supporters because the app issued notices urging users to oppose the bill.
“Why are members of Congress unhappy about hearing from their constituents? With all due respect, isn’t that their job?” TikTok said on X.
Although the bill was written with TikTok in mind, other Chinese-owned platforms could be affected, including the U.S. operations of Tencent’s WeChat, which President Trump also sought to ban in 2020. Gallagher said he would not speculate on what other effects the bill might have. Although that was a possibility, he said, “We can discuss which companies would be subject to this bill in the future.”
Reuters contributed to this report
Summarize this content to 100 words of House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the social media platform or face a total ban in the United States.The vote was a landslide, with 352 members of Congress voting in favor and only 65 voting against.The bill passed unanimously and was quickly put to a vote. approved The commission last week gave China-based ByteDance 165 days to withdraw from TikTok. Otherwise, app stores, including the Apple App Store and Google Play, would be legally prohibited from hosting TikTok or providing web hosting services to ByteDance-managed applications.The vote in the House represents the most concrete threat to the United States. tick tock A political battle continues over allegations that the China-based company collects sensitive user data and potentially censors content politically. TikTok has repeatedly said it does not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government.Despite these discussions, TikTok faced the following issues: tried Banned by Donald Trump in 2020, state level ban Passed in Montana in 2023.Courts blocked both of these bans on First Amendment violations, and Trump has since reversed His position is currently against banning TikTok.According to Reuters, the Treasury Department-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in March 2023 required ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok or face the possibility of banning the app. No measures have been taken.The bill’s future is less uncertain in the Senate. Some Senate Democrats have publicly opposed the bill, citing free speech concerns, and have proposed measures that address concerns of foreign influence across social media without specifically targeting TikTok. “Social media regulation is necessary, but it needs to be applied across the board,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.Democratic Sen. Mark Warner Who proposed another bill? Last year, he introduced a bill that would give the White House new powers over TikTok. He said he would “carefully consider this bill,” although he had “some concerns about the constitutionality of the approach of naming specific companies.” Ta.The White House supports the bill, and press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration “looks forward to passing this bill so it can reach the president’s desk.”The bill’s authors argue that it would give ByteDance the opportunity to sell TikTok and circumvent the block in the U.S., not a ban. Rep. Mike Gallagher, Republican chairman of the House China Select Committee, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy, the committee’s top Democrat, will address national security concerns posed by Chinese ownership of the app. I have submitted a bill for this purpose.”As long as we have that separation, TikTok can survive and people can do whatever they want with it,” Gallagher said, appealing to US ByteDance investors: support sales. “This is not a prohibition. Think of it as a surgery aimed at removing the tumor and thereby saving the patient.”TikTok, which has 170 million users in the United States, insisted otherwise, saying it was unclear whether China would approve the sale or that it could happen within six months.”This bill has a predetermined outcome: a complete ban on TikTok in the United States,” the company said after the committee vote. “The government is trying to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression. will destroy the lives of its creators.”Skip past newsletter promotionsUS Morning Briefing breaks down the day’s big stories and explains what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content funded by external organizations. For more information, see privacy policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google. privacy policy and terms of service Apply.After newsletter promotionAfter the committee passed the bill, officials complained that Congress was flooded with calls from TikTok supporters because the app issued notices urging users to oppose the bill.”Why are members of Congress unhappy about hearing from their constituents? With all due respect, isn’t that their job?” TikTok said on X.Although the bill was written with TikTok in mind, other Chinese-owned platforms could be affected, including the U.S. operations of Tencent’s WeChat, which President Trump also sought to ban in 2020. Gallagher said he would not speculate on what other effects the bill might have. Although that was a possibility, he said, “We can discuss which companies would be subject to this bill in the future.”Reuters contributed to this report
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/13/house-passes-tiktok-bill-ban US House of Representatives passes bill to crack down on TikTok | Ticktock