TikTok is once again in a precarious situation. This time, it comes in the form of legislation that would see the popular social media platform banned if it doesn’t sever ties with its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance. A House panel on Thursday unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that would require the Chinese company to divest TikTok and other apps it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment to avoid a nationwide ban. The legislation also creates a process that allows the executive branch to ban access to other applications that pose a threat to national security.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced Thursday that he will bring the bill to the House floor for a vote next week. It’s unclear what will happen in the Senate, where several bills aimed at banning TikTok have stalled.
“If they pass it, I will sign it,” President Joe Biden said Friday while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
Here’s what you need to know:
Why are lawmakers worried about TikTok?
Lawmakers from both parties have long worried that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over data on the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. This concern stems from a series of Chinese national security laws that force organizations to assist intelligence gathering (ByteDance may be subject to these laws) and other far-reaching ways in which the country’s authoritarian government exerts control.
TikTok has long denied suggestions that it could be used as a tool of the Chinese government. The company said it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities and would not do so if Chinese authorities asked. To date, the U.S. government has not provided any evidence that TikTok shared such information with Chinese authorities.
In addition to security concerns, some lawmakers, researchers and TikTok critics have argued that the app Suppressing content unfavorable to BeijingTikTok denied this.
What were the results of previous attempts to ban TikTok?
In 2020, former President Donald Trump tried to ban the social media platform through an executive order, but was blocked by a court after TikTok filed a lawsuit.
The Biden administration reversed the executive order but continued scrutiny of the platform by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which last year reportedly threatened to ban TikTok if its Chinese owners did not divest their shares. The White House acknowledged last month that the review was ongoing.
Other efforts by federal lawmakers to enact a nationwide ban stalled last year amid lobbying from TikTok and influencers and small businesses who use the platform. The American Civil Liberties Union and some digital rights groups oppose the TikTok ban on free speech grounds and argue that the latest House bill would infringe on the rights of Americans who rely on the app for information, publicity and entertainment.
How are TikTok users reacting to the latest bill?
TikTok sent notices to some users this week urging them to call its representatives about the measure, which it dubbed a “TikTok Shutdown.”
The company told users that Congress was planning a “total ban” on the platform that could “harm millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country, and cost artists their audiences.”
Many users responded Thursday by calling congressional offices, leading some to turn off their phones.
In a joint statement released Thursday night, Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the committee’s top Democrat, condemned of what they call TikTok’s intimidation campaign. Lawmakers who introduced the bill said it was not a ban on TikTok but “ensure” that it does not heed the demands of the Chinese Communist Party.
Krishnamoorthy also said TikTok’s notices to users were counterproductive and “proven the point of the bill.”
“They used geolocation to track underage children and provided misinformation about the bill to congressional offices, causing many members of the E&C Committee to vote in favor,” he said, referring to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Is it possible to ban it nationwide?
Yes.TikTok could be banned in the U.S. if the bill is signed into law and ByteDance chooses not to divest
Under the legislation, the platform would be banned from app stores (such as those offered by Apple and Google) and web hosting services until the divestment occurs. But even if that happens, users can still access the platform using virtual private networks that bypass such restrictions, said telecommunications analyst Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics.
So far, most countries that have imposed restrictions on TikTok have banned its use on government devices. But a handful of countries have also implemented nationwide bans, including India, which banned TikTok and other Chinese platforms in 2020 due to privacy and security concerns.
At the same time, China has banned international social media platforms such as Facebook and X from entering its territory.
How will the ban affect Americans?
A nationwide ban could happen, which would be bad news for small businesses that rely on the platform to market or sell products on TikTok Shop, the company’s e-commerce arm. It will also impact the lives of social media influencers who have spent years building followings on the platform and rely on it for brand deals or other types of revenue.
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