- The bill that’s set to either ban TikTok or force it to part ways with its parent company ByteDance has been passed in the US House of Representatives
- It will now be sent over to the Senate – President Joe Biden has already consented to sign the bill
- China is unhappy with this decision and has called the security concerns of the US government baseless
China has warned that the US’s proposed ban on TikTok will not be beneficial for the US in the long run.
Last week, US lawmakers introduced a bill called Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that said that TikTok will either have to cut ties with its parent company ByteDance or risk getting banned in the country.
The bill was put up for voting this Wednesday in the US House of Representatives where it was passed with a sweeping majority of 352-65. Only 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans were against the bill.
China is undoubtedly not happy with the turn of events. Even when the bill was first introduced, they made their displeasure very clear and said that they would not let ByteDance part with TikTok.
In fact, China has also warned ByteDance that if it planned to sell off TikTok, it would face legal repercussions. Now that the bill has been passed by both houses, China has remarked that this decision will “come to bite back” the United States.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the US’s reasoning for passing the bill is baseless and they are only doing it to suppress the app.
According to Wang, this ‘bullying behavior’ has three major repercussions:
- It disrupts companies’ normal business activity
- It damages the confidence of international investors
- It damages the normal international economic and trade order
TikTok Users In The US Protest Against Their Own Govt.
TikTok representatives are unhappy with this decision. Last week, the social media company sent out messages to some of its American users asking them to not let their government strip their basic rights and those of 170 million other users.
This led thousands of users to flood the Congress with as many as 20 calls per minute. The situation went from bad to worse, so much so that some of Congress’s phone lines had to be temporarily shut down.
Communications director for the Florida congressman, Vern Buchanan, shared a post on X stating that even high-schoolers took part in the protest and flooded them with calls asking what a congressman is.
This move was, however, not well received. TikTok received a letter from the House China Select Committee warning it to stop using manipulative messages and campaigns that can mobilize American citizens against their own government.
Why Is TikTok Getting Banned?
Over the years, the US government has had some serious security concerns with TikTok. They feel that the social media app has joined hands with the Chinese government and supplies them with information about US users.
This isn’t the first time such accusations have been thrown at TikTok. Back in 2020, when Trump was in power, he also tried to ban the app but was unsuccessful in his attempt.
However, the current relationship between the two countries is strained – another major reason behind this hasty ban. For example, the US government recently ordered an investigation into Chinese smart cars over security concerns.
TikTok has reportedly invested more than $1.5 billion to keep data of US users safe.
TikTok has obviously denied connections with the Chinese government. In fact, to reassure US authorities, the company now stores all US user data in Oracle servers located within the country.
The company has also expressed concerns over the impact of such a ban on the general public. It’s not just users missing out on TikTok’s entertainment but almost 5 million small businesses use TikTok for marketing. So, banning the app will be a huge blow to their livelihood.
As for the bill, it will now be sent to the Senate. President Joe Biden has already consented to signing it. Needless to say, TikTok will give its best to try and overturn the ban in legal courts.
Read more: EU probes into TikTok for child safety monitoring and possible content violation
