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TikTok, Your Time Is Running out

The House Passes a Bill To Potentially Ban TikTok


Photo by May Gauthier on Unsplash


On Wednesday, March 13, the House voted to pass legislation that could potentially ban TikTok in the United

States. Both Republicans and Democrats share major concerns that the popular social media app owned by a Chinese company is a national security threat.


The vote was 352-65, with one member, D-Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, voting present. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces uncertain fate, and there appears to be less urgency to act.


The House vote is the latest example of increased tensions between China and the U.S. By targeting TikTok, lawmakers are not only tackling what they see as a major threat to America’s national security but also singling out a platform popular with millions of people, many of which are younger viewers.


“I think that some people will think it’s [Tik Tok being banned] a great idea,” junior Bella Fajoo said. “And others, especially teenagers, will be annoyed.”


TikTok has provided careers to an immense amount of individuals, and a lot of them support themselves using their TikTok platform or by selling their merchandise on TikTok shops. According to Statista, around 75% of the marketing spending worldwide on social media stars was on U.S. influencers in 2023.

                       

If the House bill becomes a law, it will become illegal to distribute apps developed by ByteDance, unless the company offloads the app within 180 days. The sale of TikTok faces its own challenges. The app will have at least a multibillion-dollar price tag, which few companies can afford. Additionally, any sale would require China's sign-off, and the Chinese government has said it opposes a forced sale.


What we're after is, it's not a ban, it's a forced separation, Rep. Mike Gallagher said. The TikTok user experience can continue and improve so long as ByteDance doesn't own the company.


House passage of the bill is only the first step. The Senate will also have to pass the measure for it to become a law, and lawmakers in that chamber indicated it would undergo a thorough review. President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.


In a video posted on Wednesday evening, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has claimed that the company has invested to keep user data safe and the TikTok platform free from outside manipulation. If passed, the bill would give more power to a handful of other social companies.

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Andy Poll

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