TikTok has become an increasingly popular social media platform across the U.S. and internationally. The app is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance which has raised concerns for U.S. government officials regarding users’ safety and privacy concerns.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on March 13 that would force ByteDance to either sell the company, or it may be banned. The U.S. Republican leaders of the house fast-tracked the bill and it passed with a vote of 352-65. The bill received support from 155 Democrats and 197 Republicans. Representatives voting no included 50 Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.-14) and 15 Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor-Greene (Ga.-14).
Ocasio-Cortez said on X, “I’m voting NO on the TikTok forced sale bill. This bill was incredibly rushed, from committee to vote in four days, with little explanation. There are serious antitrust and privacy questions here and any national security concerns should be laid out to the public prior to a vote.”
Republican Mike Gallagher (Wisc.-8) is one of the representatives who lead the bill. He said on the House floor that the bill “forces TikTok to break up with the Chinese Communist Party” and the bill “is a common-sense measure to protect our national security.”
According to Congress.gov, the bill “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” prohibits the U.S. from distributing, maintaining or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary-controlled application such as TikTok.
The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate to act. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, “The Senate will review the legislation when it comes over from the House.”
Schumer has not said any specific opinion on whether he is for or against the bill. President Joseph Biden has also said that he would sign any bill banning TikTok if it was put on his desk.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), instead of banning TikTok, wants to make a process that could cover multiple foreign entities that pose national security risks, not just TikTok. She is the chair of Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee who has main jurisdiction over the issue. The committee is developing a proposal on the issue.
It is unknown how long the Senate will take to provide action towards the bill. TikTok has been restricted in 33 states on state-issued devices, but enforcing restrictions on private citizens’ devices could raise First Amendment concerns if the bill passes through the Senate.
Summer Lucille, a content creator with 1.4 million followers on TikTok, said in an interview on CNN, “You are voting against my First Amendment and my way of freedom of speech; you are voting against my small business. You are voting against me getting a slice of my American pie. So I will have to say this will highly influence who I vote for.”
TikTok has around 170 million users in the U.S. and many of those users will be voting in the upcoming general elections. People running for reelection in Congress or Presidential election have the potential to lose voters depending on their stance on the bill.