A bill Forcing China’s ByteDance to sell Tik TokThe U.S. House of Representatives voted 352 to 65 on Wednesday to pass the bill, which would otherwise face an outright ban. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to face stiff opposition before going to President Biden, who has said he will sign the bill into law.
“The First Amendment does not give the Chinese Communist Party the right to access American data, nor does it give the Chinese Communist Party the right to manipulate American minds,” Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw said on the House floor Wednesday. “That would be a very strange interpretation of the First Amendment.”
Although the bill received overwhelming support, several influential members of Congress voted against it. Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jim Himes of Connecticut and Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia voted against forcing a sale or banning TikTok.
“I voted against the TikTok force sale bill,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. X. She said the bill was rushed and any legitimate national security concerns “should have been raised with the public before a vote.”
The bill, titled “Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries,” would give the White House the power to crack down on apps it deems to threaten national security. If passed, the US president could label apps as “foreign adversary-controlled apps” and force them to be sold from foreign adversary (Russia, China, etc.) owners within 180 days. Without sales, the apps will be banned from app stores and blocked by U.S. internet service providers.
The bill specifically targets TikTok, but the app is losing ground without a fight. Bloomberg TikTok plans to “exhaust all legal challenges” before considering any kind of divestment from ByteDance, the report said, potentially foreshadowing years of legal battles.
TikTok called the bill a “ban” in an emailed statement to Gizmodo, noting that the House expedited the process. “We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to voters and recognize the impact this will have on the economy, the 7 million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our services.”
After the House vote, TikTok reportedly told employees that its strategy around user data would remain unchanged. Bloomberg. TikTok said in a memo to employees that its current “robust” third-party surveillance policy is the “best way to address national security concerns.”
Last week, TikTok sent a push notification to U.S. users asking them Call on local MPs to stop ban. The plan reportedly backfired, angering members of Congress as their phones kept ringing throughout the day. The mystery highlights how much influence TikTok has over Americans.
Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to ban the app in 2020, the former president has now Change position and oppose TikTok bill. Trump said in a tweet, or rather, the “fact” that a TikTok ban would benefit Facebook because Facebook is “the true enemy of the people.” Trump is also reportedly close to TikTok’s main investor, Jeff Yass.
Elon Musk is Also opposes the TikTok bill, but he was, as always, more concerned about free speech. Musk said the bill is a bit like a Trojan horse and is actually about “censorship and government control.”
The proposed law now heads to the Senate, which could block its passage.Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has reportedly pledged to block any measure he deems unconstitutional Washington post. Senator Paul said Americans use TikTok to express their freedom of speech, and other senators expressed similar sentiments.