A new law is being considered that would make the Chinese owners of TikTok sell the popular app or face a ban in the US. It's going to be voted on in the House of Representatives.
The bill got a 50-0 vote in committee on Thursday after TikTok users received notifications to call their members of Congress about the bill. This led to an overwhelming response from the users, flooding congressional offices with calls and questions. The Wall Street Journal reported on this.
The move quickly swamped the phone lines of some congressional offices, as they were flooded with hang-ups and questions. It also reminded lawmakers of TikTok's ability to mobilize its huge user base, as the app has been downloaded by 170 million Americans.
Ohio Republican Bob Latta, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce committee on communications and technology, said, “I think TikTok made our case for us today,” before the unanimous vote. Lawmakers attended a classified briefing before the vote that detailed how TikTok can use its user data, which some found alarming, according to The Journal.
The bill would basically give ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, a choice: sell the app to an American owner or face a ban in the US.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, said the bill will go for a full vote on the House floor next week. It’s uncertain how it will fare in the Senate.
The White House supports the bill, which is in line with Biden’s call for similar efforts. Previous attempts to ban TikTok have not been successful, including a law in Montana that a federal judge stopped in December, citing First Amendment concerns. last year.
The company is not finished opposing the legislation. They plan to continue reaching out to their users and TikTok celebrities to publicly oppose it, according to a source close to the company as reported by The Journal. The company also plans to discuss their legal concerns about the bill with lawmakers and the Biden administration. The company intends to highlight the negative impression of supporting a bill to ban the app shortly after President Biden joined TikTok as part of his re-election campaign.Former President Trump expressed opposition to the bill on his Truth Social platform on Thursday night. He said, “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business. I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!”
The app was also mentioned in the Republican response to the State of the Union on Thursday night, when Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said the Chinese Communist Party is “spreading propaganda through the likes of TikTok.”
The legislation has the Biden administration’s support. President Biden joined TikTok as part of his re-election campaign.
Former President Trump on Thursday night posted opposition to the bill on his Truth Social platform. “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” he said. “I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!”
The app also got a shout out in the Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union Thursday night, when Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said the Chinese Communist Party is “spreading propaganda through the likes of TikTok.”
“The CCP knows that if it conquers the minds of our next generation, it conquers America,” Britt said. “And what does President Biden do? He bans TikTok for government employees, but creates an account for his own campaign.”
