The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill giving ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, six months to divest its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban. The bill, which passed with a significant bipartisan majority, is now awaiting approval from the U.S. Senate. However, there are concerns that the bill may infringe on Americans’ rights to free expression and affect businesses in the U.S.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, a Singaporean, responded to the bill via a TikTok video, expressing concerns that the bill, if passed, would result in a ban on TikTok in the U.S., impact creators and small businesses, and put American jobs at risk. Chew emphasized that TikTok has provided a platform for 170 million users to express themselves and has empowered over 7 million businesses in the U.S.
@tiktok Response to TikTok Ban Bill
♬ original sound – TikTok
The bill allows TikTok to avoid a ban if ByteDance sells the app to a company not based in China or any other countries considered “foreign adversaries” of the U.S. TikTok has been accused of posing a threat to U.S. national security by being a potential spy tool for the Chinese government or influencing the political views of users in the U.S. Despite TikTok’s assurances that Project Texas would protect user data, investigations have reportedly found evidence of user data accessibility by employees in China.
TikTok has faced bans in other countries, including India and Nepal, due to national security and social harmony concerns. The company has maintained that they have never shared U.S. user data with China and disputed claims of foreign interference or influence.
The U.S. Senate must now consider the bill, and if passed, it would represent a significant development in the ongoing concerns surrounding TikTok’s potential risks to national security. The outcome of this legislation will have implications for the app’s users, businesses, and employees in the U.S. and potentially influence other countries’ approaches to TikTok and similar applications.