Fearing that TikTok poses a threat to national security, the US Senate overwhelmingly backed a bill that would prohibit the video-sharing app unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divests from it within nine months.
The Bill Against TikTok
TikTok has declared the bill, which was approved by a vote of 79–18, to be unconstitutional and denied that the Chinese government could access user data. The bill was tacked on to a proposal to give Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine a $95 billion emergency aid package.
In 2017, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, a well-known karaoke app, and rebranded it as TikTok. With 150 million monthly users, it is among the US apps with the greatest growth rates. The network claimed to have over one billion active monthly users worldwide in 2023, bringing in $120 billion in revenue, of which $16 billion originated in the US.
Why The Ban?
Due to TikTok’s increasing popularity, US politicians and spy agencies have raised concerns that the app may share user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). TikTok has refuted these claims. Some claim that China might also exploit the data to disseminate false information that would undermine the democratic process.
The US Congress outlawed using the app on any network or device that is provided by the federal government in December 2022. The use of TikTok in government offices has been restricted in a number of other nations that have followed suit. Following border skirmishes in 2020, when the app had 200 million users, India banned it.
The widely used software has also been accused of promoting content that supports Palestine, a charge that the developer has refuted. According to a November statement from the firm, sixty percent of TikTok’s users in the US are young people (ages 16 to 24) who have sympathy for Palestine.
Investment To Store TikTok In The U.S?
Executives from TikTok have faced intense questioning from lawmakers on several occasions. Shou Zi Chew, the company’s CEO, gave lawmakers assurances in March of last year that TikTok had taken precautions to protect user data.
Additionally, the company has invested $1.5 billion to store TikTok in the US. Oracle, a multinational company with headquarters in the US, will handle cloud and storage services for the project. Additionally, steps have been taken to keep its US activities independent of its Chinese parent business.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, the US accusations lacked evidence, and the ban would stifle free and fair competition. Amid a digital and internet battle between Washington and Beijing, the US has placed many Chinese tech companies on a blacklist.
Apple stated last week that, because of Chinese national security concerns, Beijing has asked it to remove Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads from the Chinese App Store.
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