US lawmakers passed a bill that might outlaw TikTok. This is important to know.
US lawmakers passed a bill that might outlaw TikTok. This is important to know.
WASHINGTON: As Washington politicians advance a bill that would result in a statewide ban on the platform, TikTok finds itself in a vulnerable situation once more.
On Wednesday, March 13, the US House of Representatives enacted legislation that, if ByteDance, the company's Chinese owner, doesn't sell its shares in the well-known social media platform within six months of the bill's implementation, will prohibit TikTok.
This is important to know:
THE US HOUSE BILL: WHAT IS IT?
According to the law, ByteDance has two choices: sell TikTok or risk being banned.
If the President decides "through an inter-agency process" that TikTok is "no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary," the platform will remain operational in the US even if ByteDance decides to sell its shares.
The famous TikTok algorithm, which provides users with content depending on their tastes, would also have to be relinquished by ByteDance as a result of the bill.
According to experts, ByteDance's plan to sell TikTok in the coming months is unlikely to succeed.
The measure states that TikTok would not be allowed to use web hosting services or app stores like those provided by Apple and Google if the firm decides not to sell until a divesture takes place.
TIKTOK: WHY ARE US LAWMAKERS WORRIES?
Law enforcement, intelligence, and lawmakers from both parties have long voiced concerns about ByteDance being forced by Chinese authorities to turn over data on the 170 million Americans who use TikTok.
The concern arises from a series of national security rules in China that require organizations to cooperate with intelligence collection, to which ByteDance would probably be subject, as well as other extensive methods by which the autocratic government of the nation wields power.
Claims that TikTok might be a weapon for the Chinese government have been refuted. According to the corporation, it has never given Chinese authorities access to customer data from US users and won't if requested.
Additionally, the US government has not yet produced any proof that TikTok gave Chinese officials access to such material.
In addition to security problems, TikTok is disputed by lawmakers, researchers, and other critics who claim the app censors information critical of Beijing.
In a study made public on Monday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence cautioned that TikTok had been exploited by the Chinese government to sway recent US elections.
"TikTok accounts run by a PRC propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the US midterm election cycle in 2022," the paper stated.
TIKTOK TO CLOSE IN THE US NOW?
No. For the proposal to become law, the Senate must also approve it. However, given that multiple proposals intended to outlaw TikTok have stagnated in that chamber, it is uncertain what will happen there. Legislators in the Senate have stated that this bill will be carefully examined.
If the bill is passed by the legislature, President Joe Biden has stated he will sign it. In such case, ByteDance would have 180 days to find a suitable buyer for TikTok.
TikTok, which has filed a lawsuit to oppose previous attempts to outlaw the platform both nationally and state-level, may also contest the idea in court.
AFTER THE PRIOR ATTEMPTS TO BAN TIKTOK, WHAT HAPPENED?
Former US President Donald Trump attempted to impose an executive order banning the social networking platform in 2020. After TikTok filed a lawsuit, the courts subsequently barred this.
A transaction that would have allowed US companies Oracle and Walmart to acquire a sizable share in TikTok on the basis of national security was also mediated by the Trump administration in 2020. However, a variety of factors prevented the deal from closing, one of which being China's stronger export regulations on its technology suppliers.
Trump's executive order was rescinded by the Biden administration, but the council on Foreign Investment in the US—a covert intra-agency council that allegedly threatened to outlaw TikTok last year if its Chinese owners refused to sell their holdings—kept reviewing the platform.
The ongoing nature of the review was confirmed by the White House last month.
Last year, TikTok, influencers, and small companies that utilize the site lobbied against other attempts by federal lawmakers to establish nationwide prohibitions.
On the grounds of free speech, the American Civil Liberties Union and certain digital rights organizations have opposed a TikTok ban, claiming the most recent House bill would infringe upon the rights of Americans who depend on the app for advocacy, information, and entertainment.
What is the response of TikTok content creators to the latest bill?
Small businesses who sell goods on TikTok Shop, the company's e-commerce division, or rely on the platform for marketing will suffer if the House bill passes into law. It would also have an effect on the lives of social media influencers who depend on their fan bases, which they have built up over years, to get brand deals or other forms of revenue.
This week, the business flew a large number of TikTok influencers into Washington to take part in a lobbying campaign against the law. Aprohibition on the app, according to several, would ruin their lives and enterprises.
A REGRETTING TIKTOK USERS?
Some users received a warning last week from TikTok asking them to contact their representatives over the step, which the company described as a "TikTok shutdown."
Users were informed by the company that Congress intended to impose a "total ban" on the platform, which they claimed could "damage millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country and deny artists an audience."
In response, a large number of users called congressional offices nonstop on Thursday, causing some of them to turn off their phones.
CAN USERS USE TIKTOK EVEN AFTER IT IS BANNED?
Experts predict that users will be able to circumvent a ban.
Virtual private networks, or VPNs, are one way that app users can try to mask their location and get around these kinds of limitations, according to telecom analyst and Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner. Since many international VPN services are exempt from US law, it will be difficult for the government to crack down on that behavior, according to Entner.
However, using a VPN also brings up other security concerns, particularly for users who choose a free or inexpensive VPN provider they haven't thoroughly investigated.
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