House lawmakers have passed a bill that could ban TikTok for American users. It is not yet clear what the fate of this measure will be in the Senate.
After the vote, the bill was approved by 352 votes to 65, with 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats opposed.
The bill would ban TikTok from US app stores unless the social media platform — used by nearly 170 million Americans — is separated from Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Mike JohnsonIn a statement on Wednesday, the House Speaker urged the Senate to approve a bill passed by the House that could ban TikTok in the United States.
Apps like TikTok allow the Chinese Communist Party to broadcast harmful content to our youth and engage in malicious activities like collecting Americans' locations, shopping habits, contacts, and sensitive data.
Johnson thought. “Today's bipartisan vote demonstrates Congress's opposition to Communist China's attempts to spy and manipulate Americans, and indicates our determination to deter our enemies,” Johnson said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to pass this bill and send it to the president to sign it into law,” he added.
Steve ScaliseThe House Majority Leader celebrated the passage of a TikTok bill and downplayed concerns that a crackdown on the popular app could hurt Republicans in November.
According to Scalise, young people don't realize how much data they have at risk because of the app, so the bill gives them additional protection.
This is how TikTok responded
In a statement about Wednesday's vote in the House of Representatives, TikTok said that all attention is now turning to the US Senate, where the fate of the legislation is not yet clear. TikTok told House lawmakers about the bill's quick adoption that they held a closed-door briefing for lawmakers last week and drew attention to the app's national security concerns.
This process was secret, and the bill passed for one reason: prohibition
– TikTok spokesperson said in the statement. “We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to its constituents, and recognize the impact on the economy, the 7 million small businesses and 170 million Americans who use our services,” the statement said.
What impact could he have on the world?
“The US ban on TikTok could set a radical precedent for social media regulation around the world,” says Georgios Samaras, associate professor of public policy at King's College London.
a CNNSpeaking to TikTok, Samaras said a ban would be a “bold political move” that could impact not only TikTok but other social media platforms as well.
This paves the way for a very specific focus. Instead of regulating social media platforms, we will simply get rid of them
-Tell.
TikTok has already been restricted on government devices in several Western countries, including those affiliated with the “Five Eyes Intelligence Group” – the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – as well as staff from the European Commission and NATO.
“Anything is possible if you look at the reactions of other countries as long as the United States leads the way. This will be the first step of its kind in the Western world,” Samaras added.
(Cover photo: People hold signs supporting TikTok in front of the US Capitol on March 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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