Will the Senate pass the bill against Chinese ownership of TikTok?

2024-03-14 17:45:11, Kosova & Bota CNA

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that would force the short-form video app TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, to break away from the Chinese company ByteDance that owns it, or else cease operations in the United States. But as Voice of America correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the bill faces significant criticism for restricting free speech and may not pass the Senate.

After years of data privacy concerns on the popular social media app, US lawmakers passed a landmark measure on Wednesday requiring TikTok to break away from Chinese company ByteDance.

"Today we send a clear message that we will not allow adversaries to use our freedoms against us ," said Republican Legislator Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

With significant bipartisan support, the law is based on concerns that the TikTok network poses a national security risk.

"Americans need to ask themselves if they want to give the Chinese government control of their data, if they want the Chinese government to control the information they receive based on algorithm recommendations, and if they want the Chinese government to be able to further use this data ," said FBI director Christopher Wray.

The company TikTok has denied these accusations and calls the new legislation a prohibition measure. The lawmakers who drafted it reject that claim.

"Our intention is for TikTok to continue operating, but not under the control of the Chinese Communist Party ," said Democratic lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi.

China condemned the passage of the bill.

"The United States has found no evidence that TikTok endangers national security and has been targeting TikTok for a long time ," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

Many US lawmakers and human rights groups say the targeting of a particular app is unfair and that it limits Americans' freedom of expression.

"The measures against TikTok are not only against freedom of expression. You are really hurting our national economy ," said Democratic lawmaker Robert Garcia.

The new legislation has reignited the debate about data privacy and personal freedoms.

"There are bigger problems than TikTok that are harming the livelihoods of Americans. People can't afford food and we worry about a social media app ," says American voter Cole Thomas.

"Security for all platforms is now in the spotlight and rightly so. I don't have much faith in these platforms and the information they provide us these days. I'm very concerned about authenticity ," says American voter Joe Judge.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says committees will review the legislation, which is expected to face significant legal challenges.

"The U.S. government will have a very difficult time convincing the court that this ban is limited enough to support the data privacy the government seeks, but that there are no less restrictive measures the government could take." , says Caitlin Chin-Rothman, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

President Joe Biden has said he will sign the law into effect if it passes the Senate. Officials of President Biden's election campaign started this year the activity on the TikTok network, as part of efforts to influence young voters./ VOA