The House of Representatives has passed legislation that could effectively ban the popular social media platform TikTok from operating in the United States unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., sells its stake in the platform within a year.
On March 14, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously passed legislation forcing TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would force social media platforms determined to be controlled by foreign adversaries that present a national security threat to the U.S. to divest from their parent companies within 180 days of enactment of the bill or these applications will be prohibited in the United States.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the committee's chair, said the legislation was vital to ending the attempts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to "target, surveil and manipulate Americans."
"Protecting Americans' data and addressing the serious national security threat posed by the CCP has been my top priority of all Congress," she said. "We have given TikTok a clear choice: Divest from your parent company, which is beholden to the CCP, and remain in operation in the United States, or side with the CCP and face a ban."
"The CCP poses the greatest national security threat to the United States of our time. TikTok's access to 170 million American users makes it a valuable propaganda tool for the CCP to exploit and use for nefarious purposes," McMorris Rodgers added. (Related: Biden joins TikTok despite national security concerns.)
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The House of Representatives passed the bill with strong bipartisan support with 360 voting in favor and 58 voting against. The bill is now headed to the Senate.
TikTok seeks to fight for its rights and oppose the proposed legislation
TikTok has vigorously opposed the proposed ban, arguing it infringes upon the First Amendment rights of its users.
Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, said in a video posted on the platform in March to give their users assurances regarding the app.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you," Shou said in the video. "We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you."
Since then, TikTok has allocated substantial resources, including $5 million in TV ads, to sway public opinion and garner support against the legislation. Content creators, including a nun, have lent their voices to the campaign, arguing that a ban would infringe upon First Amendment rights.
"It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy annually," said Alex Haurek, a spokesman for the company.
Even organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union have backed the app and given their official statement to support their legal battle.
"Congress cannot take away the rights of over 170 million Americans who use TikTok to express themselves, engage in political advocacy, and access information from around the world," said Jenna Leventoff, a lawyer for the group.
However, lawmakers remain steadfast in their stance, citing the lack of transparency and the potential exploitation of user data.
Read more news related to China at CommunistChina.news.
Watch the video below about the CCP waging "global political warfare" against America using TikTok as a weapon.
This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
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CCP-linked TikTok now dabbling in CLIMATE CENSORSHIP.
House committee passes bill ordering TikTok to divest from the CCP.
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