U.S. House Passes Bill Requiring ByteDance to Sell TikTok or Faceā¢ Ban
Expanded āWindow for Sale and Presidential Extension
In a decisive move, the U.S. House of āRepresentatives approved legislation mandating ByteDance, the parent company of āTikTok, to divest the widely-used social media āplatformā or confront a nationwide prohibition. Theā bill, which garnered bipartisan support, āextends theā£ timeframe for āByteDance to sell TikTokā¤ toā¤ nineā months, with the president having the authority to grantā¢ an additional 90-day extension.
“[The extension] assures that divestiture will more likely happen.”
Senate Commerce chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) endorsed the revised ābill, āasserting that the extended timeline increases the likelihood ā£of a successful divestiture.
Part of aā¢ Larger āPackage and Potential Senate Approval
The TikTok bill, included in a comprehensive package alongside foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel,ā¤ and Taiwan, passed with an overwhelmingā¤ majority of 360-58. The ā¤strategic inclusion of the bill in this packageā¢ aimed to āsecure broader conservative backing. With President Joe Biden’s expressed support and intention to sign ā£the bill, the Senate āis expected toā consider the packageā¢ in the coming ā£week.
National Security Concerns and Anticipated Legalā Challenge
The ā£Biden administrationā¤ has been informing lawmakers about the perceived national security risks ā£associated with āTikTok, citing concerns over ādata collectionā¢ on American users by the Chinese government ā£and ā¢the potentialā for disseminating propaganda. House Foreign Affairs Committee āchair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) likened the appā£ to aā “spy balloon in Americans’ phones” used to “surveil and exploit America’s personal information.”
In response to theā impending legislation, TikTok released ā£a statement arguing that the House’s actions would “trampleā the house-passes-bill-to-potentially-ban-tiktok-what-you-need-to-know/” title=”US House Passes Bill to Potentially Ban TikTok: What You Need to Know”>free speech rights of ā¤170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a āplatform.” The company is expected to challenge ā¤the bill inā£ court if it becomes law.
Oppositionā fromā¤ Civil ā¤Liberties Groups
Civil ā¢liberties organizations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation ā and the American Civil Liberties Union,ā have voiced their opposition to previous attempts to banā TikTok, citing concerns over free speech and the āpotential impactā on millions of users and businesses.
Asā the bill progresses through the legislative āprocess, the fate of TikTok in the United States hangs in the balance,ā¢ with far-reaching implications for the tech āindustry, national security, andā the rights of American users.
5 Comments
So TikTok might be doing its final viral dance if this bill moonwalks through the Senate, huh?
Guess it’s time to dust off those old Vine compilations, TikTok’s era might be ticking out!
Well, it looks like TikTok’s dance might be over if they don’t find a new partner, huh?
TikTok’s security dance just got a whole lot trickier with Congress stepping in!
Say goodbye to your favorite dance challenges, TikTok’s on thin ice now!