Legislation that has the potential to result in a ban of the app TikTok is gaining traction among lawmakers. Here is what you should be aware of.
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revamped marketing strategy aimed at TikTok
There is a growing push on Capitol Hill to ban the immensely popular video-sharing app due to concerns about its parent company’s connections to China. Previous attempts to ban the app have been unsuccessful.
TikTok, a popular mobile application used by over 150 million people, is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. As it has rapidly grown in popularity, concerns have been raised by government officials and lawmakers about the potential for China’s communist government to access and exploit the vast amount of user data collected by the app for surveillance purposes.
Although past attempts to prohibit the application have encountered obstacles or faced legal challenges, the most recent effort appears to be garnering support from legislators and the administration. Here is an overview of the proposed legislation:
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is designed to safeguard the United States’ national security from the risks presented by foreign adversary-controlled apps such as TikTok.
If approved and ratified, this bill would criminalize the distribution of apps created by ByteDance, its affiliated companies, and any other firms deemed “influenced by a foreign enemy,” unless the company divests from the app within 180 days.
The proposed legislation allows ByteDance to make a decision: either sell TikTok within six months, or keep ownership and face a ban from U.S. app stores and web-hosting services.
On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin and head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, stated that the recently introduced bill aims to address national security concerns while safeguarding the freedom of speech for Americans.
According to Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi, their proposed bill is the only viable solution to protect personal freedom, online privacy, American national security, and the continuation of TikTok in the United States.
Gallagher said it “provides the only path for the app to continue its operations in the United States without threatening Americans’ online freedom, privacy and security.”
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, stated during the markup session on Thursday that the legislation does not provide a carte blanche for current or future administrations to prohibit any desired apps.
The Washington Republican stated that in order to protect national security, it is necessary to thoroughly document any potential threats. The public must also be informed and the information must be presented to Congress. Only then can the president make a decision to require the divestment of any foreign adversary-controlled applications or potentially ban them in the United States. This ban can only be enforced on applications controlled by foreign adversaries.
What is the reason behind Congress’ desire to prohibit TikTok?
stated their concern about the impact of social media on society.
Both Republicans and Democrats in the government have expressed their worry about the influence of social media on the community.expressed concerns
Authorities have expressed concerns that TikTok may be compelled to share the data it gathers from millions of American users with the Chinese government, potentially enabling the latter to engage in espionage activities. There are also concerns that the app could be utilized to disseminate false information and propaganda.
“America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States. TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance,” Gallagher said in a statement announcing the legislation, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Li Yongbo has previously stated that the company would obey any requests from the government
The social media platform TikTok has refuted claims that it shares user information with the Chinese government. However, the CEO, Li Yongbo, has previously stated that the company will comply with any government requests.acknowledged to Congress last year that TikTok had collected location data on U.S. users in the past, and said some historical data was still stored in servers that could be accessed by engineers from ByteDance. U.S. officials have said that Chinese law requires the company, which is based in Beijing, to make the app’s data available to the CCP.
Then-President Donald Trump to make it a explicable
Issued a directive that would render it understandable.
In 2020, the app ByteDance would have been prevented from operating in the United States.reached an agreement with Oracle and Walmart to form a U.S.-based company to evade the ban, but those plans, and Trump’s order, were put on hold during an ensuing legal battle. Shortly after President Biden took office in 2021, he =
nullified the executive order issued by Trump
In order for the administration to perform its own security evaluation, it needed to do this.
The recent effort by legislators to compel ByteDance’s sale has garnered support from a diverse group of cosponsors representing various political beliefs.
Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who leads the House Republican Conference, stated that the application is a dangerous form of Chinese malware that is corrupting the thoughts of our future generation and allowing the Communist Party of China to freely obtain vast amounts of personal data from Americans.
Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, a member of the Democratic Party, stated that it is crucial to prevent foreign adversaries from having the power to manipulate our online content to create a safer social media platform for all Americans. This should be a non-partisan priority.
Will TikTok be prohibited?
It is premature to make a statement. The proposed legislation must be approved by both the House and Senate, and then approved by the president. If it is enacted, ByteDance will have a 6-month period to sell before any ban is implemented.
The legislators backing the law argue that it is not a prohibition on TikTok, as the app could still function in the United States if ByteDance sells off its ownership. Krishnamoorthi stated that the legislation offers ByteDance a decision to make.
At the press conference where the bill was announced, he urged ByteDance to divest TikTok.
On Wednesday, the White House echoed a comparable viewpoint. Government representatives provided assistance to legislators in constructing the bill.
According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the intention of the bill is not to ban these apps. Rather, it aims to prevent potential harm and maintain ownership in the hands of those who do not pose a threat to our national security.
Jean-Pierre suggested that while the legislation may not currently hold up to legal examination, the president is willing to consider supporting it in the future.
She stated that once the legislation is in a position of legal validity and has parliamentary support, the president will approve it. However, efforts must be continuously made to refine it.
The app is already prohibited on federal government devices. In 2022, Congress banned
The application is not permitted for download on government devices, as it has been prohibited by the U.S. military for several years.
Numerous states have prohibited the use of TikTok on devices issued by the government, causing several public universities to limit access to the app while on campus in order to adhere to these regulations. Montana was the initial state to enforce a complete prohibition in May, however, a federal judge intervened and halted the implementation of the law in January, citing its violation of the Constitution.
What is the stance of TikTok regarding the bill?
A representative of TikTok compared it to a “complete prohibition,” stating that it would deprive 170 million Americans of their freedom of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution and negatively impact businesses, prevent artists from reaching an audience, and harm the livelihoods of numerous creators nationwide.
The app TikTok notified its users and encouraged them to reach out to their legislators and urge them to vote against the proposed bill. To assist users, the app requested their ZIP code in order to provide the phone numbers of their representatives and prompt them to make a call.
“The notice urges to take action against a possible TikTok ban and protect the free speech rights of 170 million Americans. This move not only threatens the survival of numerous businesses and undermines the livelihoods of creators nationwide, but also deprives artists of their audience.”
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Gallagher informed the media on Thursday that the offices of members were receiving numerous phone calls, causing their phones to be constantly busy.
In a combined statement, Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi expressed that the notification is misleading by labeling the legislation as a prohibition of TikTok, and is instead a tactic to coerce members into compliance. They also noted that current TikTok users are reporting a mandatory action to contact their representatives before being able to access the app.
A representative from TikTok declared that the statement was entirely untrue.
Hannah Kelley, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, stated that there are valid arguments for both sides regarding whether or not the bill is considered a ban.
“The reality is that there is an underlying ultimatum,” she said. “You can choose to divest or not divest, but there’s going to be something that snaps into place based on your decision.”
What happens next?
The House Energy and Commerce Committee swiftly and unanimously approved the legislation on Thursday afternoon. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, confirmed that the House will have a vote on the bill in the upcoming week. It also has support from…
Uncertainty surrounds the level of current support for passing the bill through the entire House, although Speaker Mike Johnson, a member of the Republican Party from Louisiana, has expressed his endorsement.
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If that were the case, it would proceed to the Senate.A bipartisan bill
An Act known as RESTRICT, which would have granted the Biden administration the authority to prohibit the app, failed to progress in the upper chamber in the previous year.
Gallagher stated his desire to vote at the earliest opportunity and emphasized his backing for the most efficient path to bring the matter to the floor. The Republican representative from Wisconsin also mentioned receiving enthusiasm for a similar bill in the Senate and urged for prompt action from the senators.
owns the short video platform TikTok.
ByteDance, the owner of the popular video app TikTok, is likely to contest the bill in court.as
I filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
In 2020, the app TikTok faced a ban attempt.
Kelley expressed that she would not find it unexpected if this bill faced similar challenges as the RESTRICT Act, which aimed to grant the Commerce Department the power to prohibit or limit technology from U.S. adversaries, such as China. Some skeptics raised concerns about the potential infringement on free speech and increase in government surveillance, as the bill did not specifically target TikTok.
According to Kelley, the present laws may have a greater ability to advance beyond the RESTRICT Act due to their more precise nature.
She mentioned that it’s mainly focused on TikTok, but it also allows for the possibility of giving the president the power to designate other companies connected to foreign governments. However, the current goal is to primarily address the relationship between ByteDance and TikTok and make progress in that area.
Caitlin Yilek
Source: cbsnews.com