After a US Congressional committee approves a bill that could make it simpler to outlaw the app, TikTok issues a statement.
TikTok issues a statement after a U.S. Congressional Committee decided to send the President a bill that, if signed, would make it simpler to outlaw the social media application. According to TikTok’s statement, the fast-tracking of the bill would hurt both American users’ free speech rights and those of TikTok users around the world.
Over the past few years, TikTok has come under increasing pressure from U.S. government officials due to concerns that American data could be at risk due to scrutiny of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and its relationship with the Chinese government. TikTok was recently made illegal on government officials’ devices thanks to legislation. Colleges either voluntarily prohibit TikTok use on their campuses, as is the case at the University of Mississippi, or they adhere to state laws, as is the case at the University of Texas at Austin.
A TikTok spokesperson expressed disappointment in the rushed bill and asserted that TikTok is a US company that follows US laws. A ban on TikTok would allegedly affect American free speech values and prevent the export of American culture, according to the statement. In a separate statement to CNN, TikTok asserts that it would prefer that a national security bill it co-wrote with the American government that it claims would allay these worries be passed.
TikTok responded to the US government’s potential ban of the app pic.twitter.com/JXkgA711Qj
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 1, 2023
H.R. 1153, also known as the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries Act, is a bill that was presented to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress. If ByteDance was found to have “knowingly transferred TikTok’s user data to any foreign person working for or under the influence of the Chinese government,” the bill would allow the Biden Administration to impose sanctions on the company. If there is proof that ByteDance gave the Chinese government crucial information about Americans, the bill would have levels of penalties that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok.
NOW – White House: TikTok is a “potential national security risk.” pic.twitter.com/ScDh1rQfOR
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 1, 2023
The bill has mostly partisan differences in support and opposition. Democrats believe the bill has moved through the process too quickly, may cause confusion, and unintentionally put U.S. and European businesses at risk. Republicans point to the possibility that ByteDance may be under pressure from the Chinese government to release sensitive data on or spread false information to Americans. The Berman Amendment of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which forbids the “free flow of information,” is another law that the bill allegedly infringes upon and weakens.
Millions of Americans, particularly Gen Zers who use the platform to share important information with one another as well as perform trendy dances and play practical jokes, would be impacted by a national TikTok ban. Although there is a growing danger that the Chinese government could negatively affect users, it is important to tread lightly so as not to jeopardize Americans’ right to free speech.
Source: CNN
