The United States House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday aimed at banning TikTok within the country unless its China-based parent company sells its stake within a year. However, analysts suggest that the popular social media platform is unlikely to disappear soon, news agency AP reported.
The decision to include TikTok in a broader foreign aid package by House Republicans, aligning with US President Joe Biden’s priorities and garnering support for Ukraine and Israel, facilitated the ban’s fast-tracking. This move came after a previous version of the bill had stalled in the Senate. The House had previously passed a standalone bill with a six-month selling deadline in March, which received strong bipartisan support due to national security concerns voiced by both Democrats and Republicans regarding ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese technology firm that owns TikTok, AP’s report stated.
The modified measure passed the House with a vote of 360-58 and is now headed to the Senate after negotiations led to a compromise.
Even if the legislation is enacted, ByteDance would have up to a year to find a buyer and is likely to challenge the law in court, arguing that it infringes upon the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s millions of users, the report mentioned. Legal challenges could potentially delay the timeline outlined by US Congress or prevent the law from being implemented altogether.
TikTok’s lobbying efforts against the legislation, which included urging its 170 million U.S. users to voice opposition to Congress, were met with disdain by lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Despite TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s reassurances to users in a video posted last month, stating, “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” lawmakers remained resolute in their concerns about Chinese threats to national security.
The swift passage of the bill through Congress is noteworthy not only because it targets a specific company but also because it represents a departure from US Congress’s longstanding hands-off approach to tech regulation. Despite previous efforts to address issues such as child protection online and user privacy, lawmakers had failed to take significant action in regulating tech companies until now.
ALSO READ | Man Sets Himself On Fire Outside Manhattan Court House During Trump’s Hush Money Trial
The ban on TikTok reflects widespread apprehensions among lawmakers about China’s influence. Concerns have been raised by members of both parties and intelligence officials regarding the possibility of Chinese authorities accessing American user data or manipulating TikTok’s content to serve their interests, according to AP. While TikTok has denied these assertions, citing its independence from the Chinese government and its adherence to data protection policies, concerns persist.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban TikTok through an executive order was blocked by federal courts following a lawsuit by the company, which argued that the order violated free speech and due process rights. A proposed deal involving U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart acquiring a stake in TikTok fell through due to various reasons, including China’s imposition of stricter export controls on its technology providers.
