U.S. House panel passes bill requiring TikTok to divest from ByteDance
Various industry groups have concerns about free speech while the lawmakers are concerned about national security.
There’s no overstating how popular TikTok has become, but now the company could be in trouble, at least on U.S. soil, as the House passes a bill requiring the social media platform to divest from parent company, ByteDance.
As reported on by CNBC on Thursday, March 8, 2024, a U.S. House panel has voted unanimously on a bill that requires TikTok to break away from parent company, ByteDance. Failure to do so could see TikTok blocked in the United States.
Source: ByteDance
Lawmakers have stated that the intent is not to ban TikTok, but to prevent ByteDance, a Chinese-owned company, any access to American data. Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers notes that this bill is specifically targeted at national security and that it is “not related to content.”
As Emily Wilkins writes, there has been pushback from various groups against this bill on the grounds of freedom of speech. Even TikTok itself has urged its US-based users to reach out to their local representatives.
Recently, the state of Montana banned TikTok. “The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said in relation to the ban.
The fate of TikTok in the U.S. has long been uncertain. Back in 2020, President Trump made an executive order to remove TikTok, and WeChat, from digital app stores. Then in 2022 the FCC targeted the app for removal. With the U.S. House passing this bill, we could be even closer to seeing the massively popular app no longer available in the States.
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