The makers of TikTok and the United States government have been engaged in a virtual tug-of-war for months over the app’s usage in the U.S. Now, the latest push by TikTok ownership to warn its users about a possible ban has many angrily calling members of Congress, asking them not to move forward.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill on March 5 that would force China’s ByteDance, the owners of TikTok, to sell off the app or face a U.S. ban. For several months, there have been national security concerns about TikTok sharing the data it collects on its U.S. users with Beijing. TikTok strongly denies those allegations, but lawmakers are not convinced.
With the White House’s support, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted on Thursday to advance bipartisan legislation to raise the political heat on TikTok. The company responded by launching a campaign warning its users that the app was at risk of being shut down in the U.S. Angry TikTok users flooded the phones of Congressional members, asking them not to support the bill. What’s more, some users reportedly could not use the app at all unless they placed a call to Congress.
U.S. House panel unanimously approved bill that could ban TikTok from all devices pic.twitter.com/oIjsmnppJf
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 7, 2024
Per Jessica Guynn of USA TODAY, the company shared these words in response to the bill:
“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” the company said in a statement. “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
