House passes bill that could ban TikTok, but its fate is unclear in the Senate
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- TikTok's time may soon be up. Today the house passing the bill calling for TikTok's parent company ByteDance to either sell the app in 6-months or get blocked in the U.S. effectively killing the app. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi says "It's not about tiktok. It's about ByteDance" ByteDance is a Chinese company lawmakers argue is tied to the Chinese government, putting users data at risk. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers says "Foreign adversaries pose the greatest national threat of our time."
A TikTok spokesperson says they have never shared user information with the Chinese government. The app is used by about 170 million Americans. That's more than half the U.S. population. Some people said "I just use it for recreational use." another said ''It really knows what to send my way." and another user said "I get most of my news actually through TikTok." Lawmakers say that's one of their main concerns, a Chinese-owned company having the ability to control what more than half the American population sees and does not see in the palm of their hands.
Rep. Nick Langworthy says "Tiktok's pervasive influence among young Americans makes it an ideal tool for the C.P. to propagate its narratives, shape perceptive, and advances geopolitical agenda." A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accuses the U.S. of bullying behavior TikTok creators went to capitol hill yesterday and said "This app is so much more than an app for dumb tiktok dances. this is a life changing app." The bill now heads to the senate, if it passes there, it heads to the president to sign into law and President Biden said "If they pass it, I'll sign it." Tik tok has been pushing back in its own way, on it's own app by asking users to contact lawmakers to try and kill the bill, before it comes law.
