President Biden has announced his support for a bipartisan bill aimed at potentially banning TikTok, a popular social media platform, amidst escalating national security concerns.
The bill, known as the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, swiftly gained traction, garnering unanimous support from the House Energy and Commerce Committee just days after its introduction.
In a statement to reporters on Friday, President Biden emphasized his willingness to sign the bill into law if it passes through Congress. “If they pass it, I’ll sign it,” Biden affirmed, underlining the urgency of addressing security risks posed by certain foreign-controlled applications.
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The bipartisan legislation, spearheaded by Reps. Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman and ranking member of the House committee focused on China, respectively, targets TikTok due to its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance. The bill mandates ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok within 165 days of enactment, failing which the app could face a ban from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
Despite objections from some Democrats regarding the expedited legislative process, concerns over national security implications prompted bipartisan support for the bill. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced intentions to bring the bill to a House floor vote in the upcoming week, signaling a bipartisan commitment to address the issue promptly.
TikTok has vehemently opposed the proposed legislation, denouncing it as a prelude to a complete ban of the platform in the United States. A spokesperson for TikTok asserted that the bill carries a “predetermined outcome” of banning the app, prompting the company to mobilize users in a campaign aimed at halting its advancement through Congress.
Critics of the bill, including civil liberties organizations like the ACLU and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, have raised concerns about potential infringements on free speech. The legislation not only targets TikTok but also establishes a framework for identifying and regulating other applications deemed to pose national security risks due to ties with foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Moreover, the potential ban on TikTok could exacerbate tensions between the United States and China, already strained by trade disputes, technology competition, and geopolitical rivalries. China has vehemently opposed previous attempts by the U.S. to restrict Chinese-owned technology companies, viewing such actions as politically motivated and discriminatory.
The ban on TikTok could also prompt retaliatory measures from China, further escalating the bilateral tensions and disrupting global technological cooperation. Additionally, it could complicate negotiations between the two countries on other contentious issues, including intellectual property rights, market access, and cybersecurity.
Former President Trump, who is currently campaigning for reelection, surprisingly expressed opposition to the bill. Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok during his time in office, indicated in a post on Truth Social Thursday that such a ban could inadvertently favor Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Trump suggested that his banishment from the platform in 2021, followed by his reinstatement last year, might have influenced his perspective on the matter.
In the context of efforts to ban TikTok, it’s crucial to mention the actions taken by the Trump administration. During his presidency, Trump sought to ban TikTok, citing concerns over national security and data privacy. Trump issued executive orders in August 2020 that aimed to ban TikTok and WeChat, another Chinese-owned app, from operating in the United States.
Trump’s administration alleged that TikTok posed a threat to national security due to its Chinese ownership by ByteDance. The administration claimed that the Chinese government could potentially access user data collected by TikTok, posing risks to American citizens’ privacy and security. These concerns were part of broader tensions between the U.S. and China regarding trade, technology, and geopolitical competition.
However, Trump’s attempts to ban TikTok faced legal challenges and were met with resistance from TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. TikTok filed lawsuits challenging the executive orders, arguing that they were unconstitutional and lacked evidence to support claims of national security threats. The legal battles resulted in temporary injunctions that prevented the bans from taking effect immediately.
Despite the legal obstacles, Trump’s administration continued to push for the divestiture of TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American company. Oracle and Walmart emerged as potential buyers, but negotiations ultimately fell through.
The Biden administration inherited the TikTok issue from its predecessor and has continued to address national security concerns surrounding the app through legislative means, as evidenced by President Biden’s support for the bipartisan bill aimed at potentially banning TikTok.
As of January 2024, the United States boasted the largest TikTok audience globally, with nearly 150 million users actively engaging with the popular social video platform.