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House lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a new bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to withdraw ownership of the popular video-sharing platform or face a ban in the United States.
The bill called the Protecting Americans from Claims Controlled by Foreign Enemies Act was introduced by Representatives. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois). Referring to the field of national security, the bill states that TikTok is controlled by the People’s Republic of China, a foreign enemy, and poses a risk to American interests.
Gallagher Party, chairman of the House Election Committee of the Communist Party of China, said ByteDance should cut ties with the Chinese government and warned of the consequences of not doing so. Krishnamoorthi, one of the leaders of the board, echoed these sentiments.
According to the law, ByteDance will have five months to terminate its ownership of TikTok. Additionally, web hosting companies and app stores, including those owned by Apple and Google, should not support the TikTok app and other apps affiliated with ByteDance.
In response to this bill, a TikTok spokesperson announced that the law imposes a restriction on the platform’s benefits and claimed that the law would violate the First Amendment. The law changes millions of Americans and disrupts businesses that rely on TikTok. growth and expansion. . Small business.
The proposed legislation is the latest development in Washington DC’s ongoing efforts to address concerns about TikTok’s alleged social ties to the Chinese government. Although TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has denied these relationships, lawmakers are determined to examine the platform’s operations.
In 2022, President Joe Biden signed an executive order restricting access to TikTok on government equipment, and states announced similar restrictions. Former President Donald Trump previously warned about TikTok’s data collection practices, prompting calls for ByteDance to divest its US assets.
Previous attempts to ban TikTok in the US have faced legal challenges, including the US government’s recent decision by a federal judge to block Montana’s law focusing on the platform; lawmakers are still concerned about its impact on national security.
Support for the US government’s TikTok ban has waned, reflecting a shift in public attitudes, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in December. America is entering the fray on the social media platform.