A bill passed by a US congressional panel mandates that TikTok’s China-based parent company must sell the app within six months or potentially face a ban.
A measure, initiated by a separate House of Representatives committee and supported by the White House, raises concerns regarding national security.
TikTok argues that the proposed legislation would negatively impact freedom of speech and small businesses reliant on the app.
The company has encouraged its users to contact members of Congress to express their opposition.
Confirming to the BBC, the social media giant stated it had issued notifications urging TikTokers to “contact your representative now” to encourage them to vote against the measure.
According to one congressional aide, their office had received numerous calls.
Reports from the New York Times indicated that some phone lines were overwhelmed, with a few callers seemingly teenagers.
The bill is set for a full House floor vote next week.
A bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers, constituting the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, proposed the bill.
It was unanimously approved 50-0 on Thursday by the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Senate’s approval would be required for it to become law.
The chairwoman of the committee criticized TikTok’s mobilization of its users, prompting the platform to respond: “Why are members of Congress complaining about hearing from their constituents? Respectfully, isn’t that their job?”
Lawmakers are proposing a bill aimed at safeguarding the national security of the United States by addressing the perceived threat posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications, specifically targeting TikTok’s owner, ByteDance. Allegations of ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party are denied by the company.
The bill mandates ByteDance to sell TikTok or risk its removal from mobile app stores in the US, with no penalties outlined for individual users. Supporters argue that allowing ByteDance, linked to a major US adversary, control over a prominent media platform poses significant risks. Critics, including TikTok itself and the ACLU, view the bill as effectively banning TikTok and infringing on free speech rights, impacting millions of users and small businesses.
This legislative move follows previous efforts to address concerns about TikTok’s ownership, including its ban on US government devices, though exceptions exist, such as President Biden’s re-election campaign maintaining an account. Previous attempts by former President Trump to ban TikTok faced legal challenges and did not materialize.
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