Summary
A bipartisan effort in the U.S. House of Representatives is pushing to pass a bill that could potentially lead to a ban of the social media appTikTok. The platform, which allows users to post and view short videos, launched back in 2016 and has significantly grown its base of fans since then. AsTikTokhas seen its popularity soar, however, it’s also become the target of increased scrutiny from many.
TikTok has faced lawsuitsfrom concerned parents in the United States over its alleged tendency to become addictive to children and expose them to harmful content. It’s also faced restrictions and bans in several countries due to similar complaints. Now, a bill is moving through the U.S. legislature that could see the United States implement its own ban.
A bill,H.R. 7521, is currently moving through the House of Representatives that, if passed, could lead to the ultimate banning of TikTok in the United States. The bill in question advanced out of committee on March 7, a key step in the legislative process, and faces a vote by the full House this week. If it eventually becomes law, the bill would require TikTok developer ByteDance to sell the platform within 165 days or see it banned on app stores. The state ofMontana moved to ban TikTok last yearand this new federal bill follows the same logic and intent of that measure.
Proposed TikTok Ban Cites Concerns About China
Like the Montana ban, this new bill is motivated by concerns that TikTok is, or could be, used by the Chinese government to gather data on U.S. citizens and spread misinformation. ByteDance is a Chinese company based in Beijing and, like many Chinese businesses, is partly owned by the government. TikTok has taken to Twitter to criticize this new bill and refute claims that it serves the Chinese government. ByteDance argues that TikTok serves a passionate community, that accusations of data-gathering and sharing are fearmongering, and that this bill represents an attack on the First Amendment rights of its users to free speech and expression. This does not seem to have slowed the momentum of its opponents in Congress.
These concerns are plainly not limited to the United States or even to countries with an antagonistic relationship with the Chinese regime.India has banned TikTok out of concerns about spying by Chinaand the two countries have generally shared close economic ties. The United States could be the latest, but it is far from the first country to voice these particular issues.
If it passes this week in the House, the TikTok ban would still need to pass in the Senate and then be ratified by the president to become law, which is likely to take some time. Last year,Senator Hawley voiced support for a TikTok ban, so it does appear that there is at least some support in that chamber to follow the lead of the House. Just how this bill will fare in Congress remains to be seen.
