Congress is continuing its plan of banning TikTok for American users.
The extremely popular social media platform may be banned for all Americans due to foreign security concerns. The vote in the House of Representatives is to be held on Wednesday, March 20. The vote is predicted to pass — the bill has bipartisan support from both sides.
However, the bill must pass through the Senate and Joe Biden. Although not impossible, this is a difficult task.
The parent company of TikTok, called ByteDance, is a Chinese company that many American politicians have grown fearful of. The company is headquartered in Beijing. Recently, Congress has pressured technology companies on the ethic of social media usage and responsibility.
Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, testified in front of Congress along with other social media platform owners, notably Mark Zuckerberg. Chew was questioned about his association with the Chinese Communist Party. Throughout the questioning, he stated multiple times that he was Singaporean, not Chinese.
Members of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have spoken out about their concerns. The committee has introduced the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
“This bill prohibits distributing, maintaining, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application (e.g. TikTok)… Under the bill, a foreign adversary controlled application is directly or indirectly operated by (1) ByteDance, Ltd. or TikTok,” the Act reads.
This bill essentially bans applications controlled by ByteDance from the app store and the web. This includes the banning of TikTok. As a Chinese company, many American politicians are starting to question the security of a platform and its ability to collect American data. According to the bill’s language, China is classified as a “foreign adversary.”
President Joe Biden has spoken about his thoughts on the matter. Biden agreed that he would sign the legislation if it made it to his desk.
“If they pass it, I’ll sign it,” Biden said.
A major opposition to this bill has been former President Donald Trump. Although Trump tried to ban TikTok when he was in office, he has since changed sides on the matter. Recently, Trump argued that a TikTok ban would primarily help Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. By banning one social media platform, U.S. users will simply resort to another, allowing Facebook to gain more views and usage.
“I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last election, doing better… They are a true Enemy of the People.” Trump said.
Trump has continued to emphasize the dishonesty of Facebook, particularly in its influence on elections and political influence. The last thing Trump wants is for Facebook to grow in power and gain more influence.
The move to ban TikTok is especially unpopular for younger voters. This move is likely to alienate younger voters — a group of voters that is vital for the 2024 presidential election ahead. Will Biden lose young voters if he chooses to sign this bill? Will Trump gain more young voters if he continues to speak out against the banning of TikTok?
