The future of TikTok in the United States hangs in the balance as a new bill garners increasing support that could potentially compel the social networking service to divest or face a ban. President Joe Biden recently endorsed this possible legislation, stating his intention to sign it, following its initial probationary endorsement by the House.
Proposed under the title “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” the proposed law, if enacted, is set to provide TikTok with a six-month period to disassociate from its parent company, ByteDance, or be prepared for a nationwide app store ban. House Republicans seem poised to present the bill for a floor vote as early as this week, as reported by Semafor.
TikTok, however, perceives this move as a thinly disguised ploy to completely prohibit the app’s usage. The company issued a statement arguing that pre-planned enactment of such a bill will infringe upon the Constitutional rights of 170 million Americans to freely express themselves. The company warns of negative implications for prolific creators, numerous businesses, and artists deprived of their audiences.
TikTok’s millions-strong user base has also been prompted by the service to contest the controversial legislation. Leading up to the vote on the bill, the app generated push notifications encouraging people to contact their legislative representatives to oppose the bill. This initiative resulted in a significant spike in calls from teenagers to Congressional offices.
Notably, former President Donald Trump, despite previous attempts to compels TikTok’s sale to an American entity, has revisited his stance on the issue. Trump has opined on Truth Social that a potential TikTok ban will inadvertently result in furthering the interests of Facebook.
While the bill’s approval by the House would be a noteworthy landmark, the Senate’s stance on the legislation remains uncertain. Prominent senators have been quite guarded in their comments about their prospective support for the bill. In a Senate hearing concerning child safety, a few senators questioned TikTok CEO Shou Chew regarding his Singaporean nationality and challenges pertaining to the app’s connections to China and ByteDance’s practices.
