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House Passes Bill That Could Ban TikTok in United States
By Movieguide® Staff
The House passed a bill Wednesday morning that could effectively ban TikTok in the United States.
The legislation, called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, demands that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest the platform. If it doesn’t within 180 days, the app would be banned in American app stores.
CNBC reports that it received bipartisan support, passing with a 352-65 vote.
Movieguide® reported on the bill:
Per The Hill, “The ‘Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act’ was unveiled Tuesday by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.”
“It specifically defines ByteDance and TikTok as a foreign adversary controlled application and urges the parent company to divest the platform or face a ban in the U.S., while also creating a broader framework that would allow the president to designate other foreign adversary controlled applications,” The Hill noted.
It will now go to the Senate, where its future is unclear.
“The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future as senators appear divided about the legislation, and other federal and state-led efforts to ban TikTok have stalled,” CNBC reported.
If the legislation passes the Senate, President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill.
If enacted, the bill would require ByteDance to “sell off TikTok if the company wanted the app to remain available in the US.”
“App store owners such as Apple and Google, along with internet-hosting companies, would be prohibited from supporting TikTok and other apps that are linked to ByteDance,” CNBC reports.
Some, including TikTok, believe that a ban would harm small businesses and content creators.
“This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”
However, others have voiced concerns about the Chinese-owned platform.
Last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray shared how the platform influences Americans. Movieguide® reported:
Wray explained that through amassing information and implementing advanced technology, the Chinese government can “conduct targeting for espionage [and] IP theft” among other concerns the FBI has sounded alarms on…
“It’s the control of the data to conduct all sorts of big operations. It’s the control of the recommendation algorithm, which allows them to conduct influence operations. It’s the control of the software, which allows them to then have access to millions of devices,” Wray said.
“You put all those three things together, and again, come back to the starting point, which is, this is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government and it to me screams out with national security concerns.”
Along with national security concerns, the content on the platform is often harmful to users.
Movieguide® reported:
The state of Utah has sued the popular social media app TikTok over its harmful effects on children and its deception about ties to China.
WND reported, “The lawsuit alleges that TikTok misled consumers about its safety and that it causes substantial mental harm to children due to its addictive nature. It also alleges that the app has been deceptive about the extent of ByteDance’s influence in order to evade suspicion and regulation.”
“TikTok claims that its ‘mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” the lawsuit states. “Instead, TikTok intentionally designed and deployed an addictive product to bring itself financial gain by monetizing the attention of young users. This business practice has quickly made TikTok into one of the world’s largest social media companies.”
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