Sarah Travers
A legislative move to potentially ban TikTok across the United States has gained traction, with a House committee giving unanimous approval to a bill that could force the popular social media app to sever ties with its China-based parent company, ByteDance.
The bill, passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sets a deadline of 165 days for TikTok to separate from ByteDance. Failure to do so would result in Apple, Google, and other app store operators being barred from offering TikTok for download. The legislation also considers similar measures against other apps deemed to be “controlled by foreign adversary companies.”
Concerns over TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government have been ongoing, with U.S. officials worrying that Beijing could exploit the app to access user data. While there is no public evidence to support this claim, policymakers fear that such access could be used for intelligence gathering or misinformation campaigns.
TikTok has strongly opposed the bill, arguing that it infringes on Americans’ right to free speech. The company has mobilized its user base to lobby against the legislation, urging them to contact their representatives in Congress.
Efforts to ban TikTok began during the Trump administration, which issued executive orders aimed at prohibiting app stores from offering TikTok and compelling ByteDance to divest. However, these efforts faced legal challenges and did not come to fruition.
The bill’s sponsors maintain that it does not aim to suppress speech but rather to address concerns about foreign control. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that the bill could violate Americans’ free speech rights.
The legislation will now move to a full House vote next week. Its prospects in the Senate are uncertain, as there is currently no companion bill, and Senator Maria Cantwell, the Democratic chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has not indicated whether she will support the proposal.
If passed, the bill could have broad implications not only for TikTok but also for other apps and industries, potentially limiting the content that can be hosted by various internet platforms.
In summary, the bill represents a significant development in the ongoing debate surrounding national security and privacy concerns related to popular social media apps, particularly those linked to foreign governments.
