As Congress prepares to take a vote next week on a bill that would give Chinese holding company ByteDance six months to sell off TikTok or risk a ban from US markets, the social media company is rallying its users to complain to their representatives.
TikTok sent out a push notification to all American users warning them that “Congress is planning a total ban of TikTok” that would “strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression” and “damage millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country, and deny artists an audience.” It then provided a tool for its 170 million users to find their congressional representatives and their office phone numbers.
The app is officially banned from US government phones due to its ability to collect data and potentially send it to the Chinese government. National Security concerns about data storage is the primary reason behind this bill, which is named “the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.”
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The legislation has already been unanimously approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee in a 50 to 0 vote. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) said the purpose of the bill is to “force TikTok to sever their ties with the Chinese Communist Party.” Biden White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is also in favor of the measure: “This bill is important, we welcome this step,” she said.
This follows from former President Donald Trump’s unsuccessful attempt to ban TikTok in 2020. His executive order was blocked by a flurry of legal opposition and was ultimately revoked by Biden.
One of the most adamant opponents of a TikTok ban is a libertarian billionaire named Jeff Yass, who owns a 7 percent stake in TikTok parent company ByteDance. He is a top donor to “free market” Washington think tanks that mobilize lobbyists against National Security bans on foreign companies like ByteDance.
Surprisingly, former President Donald Trump is now against the effort to ban TikTok. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business … I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in last election, doing better … They are a true enemy of the people.”
If Congress bans TikTok, they will be acting just like the Chinese communists who have also banned TikTok . . . Why not just defend the first amendment? pic.twitter.com/7eAvKNPdvc
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 8, 2024
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
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