The bill, which seeks to control the ownership of foreign apps like TikTok in the United States, now heads to the Senate for it to be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign it into law.
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to ban TikTok across the country if the wildly-popular social media platform does not severe its ownership from ByteDance, a Chinese company which powers the platform, within the next six months.
In a major bipartisan move on Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed by 352 to 65 votes the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act co-authored by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, and Congressman Mike Gallaghe from the Republican party.
The bill, which seeks to control the ownership of foreign apps like TikTok in the United States, now heads to the Senate for it to be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign it into law.
Why US is proposing to ban TikTok?
US lawmakers who brought forth the bill to ban TikTok have flagged data privacy concerns of American citizens as the app is owned by Chinese company ByteDance which is allegedly under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
US intelligence services has warned of possibilities of China using apps like TikTok to influence the country presidential elections in November this year.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that the CCP would use it (TikTok) to influence US elections,” Avril Haines, US director of national intelligence said in his report to the House intelligence committee.
Congressman Greg Murphy, one of the representatives who supported the bill alleged that China is using TikTok is to “target, surveil and manipulate American citizens”.
“The app collects sensitive user data that is shared with the Chinese Communist Party and its intelligence services. Under its current ownership, it presents a grave national security threat,” Murphy said.
House Republicans said the ambitious data collection goals of China and the documented lack of transparency from TikTok and their executives over data and moderation practices has prompted governments, including the US, the European Union, Canada, India and several US States to ban the use of the application on government devices.
What is the TikTok bill?
Viewed from a purely global geopolitical standpoint, the bill is the latest development in the deteriorating US-China bilateral ties. The US has claimed that the apps like TikTok must transfer ownership to America as its Chinese ownership might be used to access the data of its over 170 million American users, raising a major data privacy concern for American citizens.
The US also fears that China may use TikTok to run a disinformation campaign and attempt to influence the November elections.
How the ban will affect TikTok users?
TikTok is wildly popular in the US, boasting over 170 million users, and if the app is banned, it will directly affect millions of content creators and small businesses who depend on the platform for income.
Social media influencers, who have used TikTok to cultivate a mass following over the years, will also take a hit as the platform is very popular in the country and beats other social networks like Instagram and Facebook by miles.
Backlash from TikTok users?
After news broke out the government mulling to ban TikTok, scores of its users, especially teens, reportedly called the offices of their respective representatives to register their protest and oppose the legislation.
Last week, TikTok sent a sent a notification to some users, urging them to call their representatives and oppose a “total ban” on the platform that could “damage millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country and deny artists an audience.”
Options for TikTok?
With the House of Representatives approving the Bill and awaiting to be signed into law by the President of the US, TikTok is left with all but two options; Transfer ownership to the US by separating from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a complete nationwide ban in the US.
Recently, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan asserted that the Bill does not aim to ban TikTok, but strives to end its Chinese ownership.
If ByteDance chooses to go the first route and divest its stakes, TikTok will continue to operate in the US if President Joe Biden determines “through an inter-agency process” that the platform is “no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary.”
However, under Chinese law, a forced divestment of TikTok, would compel ByteDance to hand over the data of its 170 million American users to the Chinese government even while then platform has repeatedly claimed that it does not store US user information in China.
Trump, Musk, oppose TikTok ban
Former President Donald Trump and Tesla chief Elon Musk have opposed the ban on TikTok, stating that such a move would inevitably strengthen Meta– Facebook’s parent company– and “hurt some kids”.
Notably, Trump had attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 during his tenure as US President.
“I’m not looking to make Facebook double the size. And if you ban TikTok, (then) Facebook and others, but mostly Facebook, will be a big beneficiary. And I think Facebook has been very dishonest,” Trump said.