Calls to American legislators are pouring in from dissatisfied TikTok users who are outraged by the company’s parent company’s intention to sell the social media application.
On Thursday, a U.S. congressional panel approved a measure mandating the sale of TikTok within six months, or the platform could be banned.
Prior to this, app users had been prompted with a notification to “take action to prevent a TikTok shutdown.”
One congressman reported receiving communications from minors regarding the subject.
TikTok has verified that a notification urging TikTokers to “call your representative now” in order to support the measure’s veto has been distributed.
Next week, the bill is anticipated to be put to a full House floor vote.
Twenty legislators from different political parties, comprising the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, have put forth this proposition.
It was unanimously adopted 50-0 by the Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday. It would require Senate approval prior to becoming law.
The platform’s response to the committee chairwoman’s criticism of TikTok’s user mobilization was as follows: “Why are members of Congress complaining about hearing from their constituents? “Sincerely, is that not their responsibility?”
The bill commits to safeguard the United States’ national security against the peril presented by applications controlled by foreign adversaries.
Legislators assert that ByteDance, the proprietor of TikTok, has ties to the Chinese Communist Party; both ByteDance and TikTok refute this claim.
The legislation specifically targets ByteDance, which, in accordance with its provisions, would be obligated to sell TikTok or risk being removed from mobile app stores in the United States.
The application’s terms do not include any provision that could subject individual users to legal action.
The preeminent adversary of the United States has no business controlling the preeminent media platform in the country,” said Wisconsin Republican and committee chairman Mike Gallagher.
TikTok Ban: Security Concerns vs. Rights
TikTok, according to Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, presented “critical threats to our national security” due to the fact that its parent company was “obliged to collaborate” with the political leadership of China.
Supporters of the legislation refute the notion that the action constitutes an explicit prohibition on TikTok, contending that ByteDance is being granted an approximately six-month period to adhere to the regulations.
TikTok, however, characterized the action as “completely prohibited… despite the authors’ attempts to obscure it” in a statement published on X.
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Legislation of this nature will violate the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deny a vital growth and job-creation platform to five million small businesses.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) concurred, stating that the action was “cheap political maneuvering in an election year.”
Additionally, numerous Americans relied on the app for communication and information, according to the ACLU.
Legislation is being proposed as the most recent effort by legislators in the United States to regulate TikTok.
Although the app is prohibited on government devices in the United States, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has an account.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to prohibit the Chinese-owned applications TikTok and WeChat was thwarted by legal obstacles and was never implemented.
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