The US House of Representatives passed the divest or ban bill with a majority of 360 to 58. If signed into law this bill could lead to the first-ever shutdown of a social media platform by the US government.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week, and Joe Biden has confirmed he will sign it into law.
“This bill aims to protect Americans, particularly children, from the harmful influence of Chinese propaganda on the TikTok app. Republican Representative Michael McCaul, who authored the bill, stated that the app is a surveillance tool on Americans’ phones, as reported by Bloomberg.”
The TikTok bill is part of House Republican speaker Mike Johnson’s foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
In March, the Senate commerce committee chair, Maria Cantwell, urged the House to revise the details of a bill that required TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest within six months. The updated version of the bill has now been passed, and it extends the divestment period to a year.
In a statement released on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.): “As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation.”
ByteDance, a popular social media app based in China, is accused of collecting user data and censoring content critical of the government. National intelligence director Avril Haines warned in March that China may use TikTok to influence the presidential election in 2024.
As for TikTok, it has repeatedly said that the US government will not be able to access user data relating to US citizens. The company states that TikTok is an independent platform with its management team, including a Singapore-based CEO, a US-based COO, and an Irish-based global head of trust and safety.
“The TikTok posted” on X earlier this week opposing the bill and arguing that it undermines the US economy by closing a platform that contributes $24 billion annually ”.
As a result of the bill’s passage, TikTok reported: “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is once again jamming through a ban bill that would trample on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans under the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance,” NPR reported.
Signal’s president, a US-based encrypted messaging service, also condemned its passage, arguing that the data privacy arguments can be applied to other social media companies. In addition, the Senate recently passed legislation extending warrantless surveillance powers to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through reauthorization.
Meredith Whittaker wrote: “This is fucked.” on X. I would like you to take a moment to consider what is happening here. Amid a bill to force TikTok to sell to US buyers or face a ban, justified in part by ‘data privacy,’ abuse of surveillance powers is about to be enshrined in US law.
Earlier this year, Joe Biden spoke about the TikTok bill, saying “If it passes, it will become law”. Over five hours were spent answering lawmakers’ questions about China, drugs, and teenagers’ mental health during TikTok’s Singaporean CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony.
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