First approval granted for TikTok ban

A vote was held in the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the future of the world-renowned social media platform TikTok. In the vote, the first approval for banning TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, in the U.S. was granted with 352 votes in favor and 65 against.

The bill passed by the House of Representatives requires ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets within 6 months; otherwise, the platform will be banned in the U.S.

The bill targeting TikTok, which has 170 million users in the U.S., will be submitted to U.S. President Joe Biden for approval following a vote in the Senate. A source familiar with the matter stated that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will visit Capitol Hill today to meet with senators.

It is not yet known whether China will approve any sale or whether ByteDance will divest TikTok's U.S. assets within six months. If not sold, TikTok will be unable to remain in app stores operated by Apple, Google, and similar companies.

“AN ATTEMPT TO STRIP AWAY THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH”

In a statement released by TikTok before the vote, it was said, "This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression."

“DO WE WANT DATA GOING TO CHINA?”

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated in a briefing yesterday that the goal of the bill is not to ban TikTok, but to end Chinese ownership. Sullivan said, "Do we want TikTok, as a platform, to be owned by a U.S. company or owned by China? Do we want the data from TikTok—data from children, data from adults—to be staying here in the U.S. or going to China?"

News Source: İHA