0
0
On March 13th, 2024, the US House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok, one of the world’s most popular social media apps. While it hasn’t passed through the Senate yet, many people online are concerned and outraged by the bill being passed in the House.
The rules of the ban are more or less summarized with this rule: The owner of TikTok, a company called ByteDance, must sell the app to a company with America’s approval by the next 6 months, or the app will be taken down from app stores all across America. If you wish to learn more about the specifics of the bill, I encourage you to go to this link.
This comes just a few years after India banned over 50 Chinese apps, including TikTok, emphasizing their priority to defend India’s national security. Many of the same parts of the bans in India are in the US bill as well.
One of the main reasons this bill is being pushed by lawmakers is because of ByteDance’s relationship with a rival of the US: China. ByteDance is headquartered in Beijing, China, and many of the members of Congress believe that China could force ByteDance into giving them data about American citizens. Though there has been no evidence of any data on TikTok being shared to the Chinese government, lawmakers have still been pushing the law. Nancy Pelosi, a supporter of the bill, says that the bill “is not an attempt to ban TikTok. It’s an attempt to make TikTok better. Tic-tac-toe. A winner.” Many people on TikTok, and even on other social media platforms such as Twitter (X) or Instagram, are furious with the decision in the House. All eyes are now on the Senate, who, if it passes there, will be sent to President Joe Biden, who has already said that he will sign it, putting the law into effect. As it stands now, TikTok users have been protesting about the bill, and will most likely continue to do so until the law is vetoed. Will you?
Evidence used:
