A bill recently introduced by US senators would require Chinese internet company ByteDance to remove itself from the popular video-sharing app TikTok within six months or risk being banned.
The new bipartisan law was hailed as a "welcoming move" by the White House, which expressed concerns that Chinese authorities might obtain the app's data with ease.
The "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" is scheduled to be the subject of a congressional hearing and vote by the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 7. A total of 19 MPs from both parties introduced the bill on March 5.
Representative Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House select China committee, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the panel's top Democrat, have co-authored the bill. Both of them are the members of the Intelligence Committee and recently visited Taiwan and the larger Indo-Pacific area.
What is stated in the bill?
It demands that the parent company hand off the video app within 165 days or risk being banned, viewing ByteDance and TikTok as programs under the control of a foreign opponent.
The law would create a framework by which the president, working with the FBI and other intelligence agencies, could categorize social media sites under the control of foreign adversaries such as China and Russia, constituting a threat to US national security.
Apps that were deemed dangerous will be taken down from online app stores and hosted websites unless the developer ended their business relationships with international competitors. This implies that unless ByteDance moves quickly to divest TikTok, which FBI Director Christopher Wray has stated is a threat to national security, it may be banned.
Here's how the White House and TikTok responded
A representative for TikTok criticized the measure, referring to it as a "complete ban of TikTok, regardless of how much the authors try to hide it."
Alex Haurek released a statement saying, "This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs."
Meanwhile, the bipartisan initiative has garnered considerable backing from the White House, albeit with certain amendments still pending.
A National Security Council spokesman claims that the Biden administration has worked with lawmakers of both parties to create a long-term legislative solution to address the dangers posed by technology services that operate across the country and jeopardize sensitive personal information of Americans as well as the country's security as a whole.
TikTok is very popular app in the US
In the United States, TikTok has become extremely popular, specifically among younger users.
Senators attempted to enact legislation banning the app last year, but corporate lobbying prevented the proposal from moving forward.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump made an attempt to impose restrictions on TikTok, but the endeavor was also futile.
Additionally, using the program on government devices is forbidden. But when President Joe Biden's reelection campaign joined TikTok last month, it was met with harsh criticism from Republicans.
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