TikTok voices worry over the new House bill requiring parent company, Bytedance, to divest its stake in the firm within a year or face a potential ban in US
TikTok, the short-form video hosting platform, has expressed its concerns regarding the recent bill passed by the House of Representatives. As per the bill, if Bytedance, the parent company of the video hosting platform, did not sell its stake in TikTok within a year, the latter could face a complete ban in the US.
The bill received overwhelming support in the House, passing with a vote of 360 to 58. It's now headed to the Senate and could be up for a vote soon, according to a report by Reuters.
Lawmakers from both sides of the table, along with the Biden administration, have raised concerns about TikTok's potential national security impacts. The concerns are largely based around China pressuring the company into sharing data from its massive user base of 170 million Americans, which can in turn pose a significant risk to privacy and security.
"It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans," TikTok reportedly said in a statement.
Earlier this year as well, the company had criticized the bill, stating that it would eventually 'censor millions of Americans.' It further added that the state ban on TikTok in Montana was a violation of the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union has also criticised the bill on free speech grounds.
Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner stated that TikTok might serve as a tool for Chinese propaganda. He pointed out that many youngsters rely on TikTok for news, raising concerns about the platform's potential influence and the spread of biased information.