House Adopts a Bill That if Implemented May Prohibit TikTok to Operate in the U.S.
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WASHINGTON — Taking drastic caution, the House of Representatives legislated that the employed software could avoid Tiktok use in the United States with the vote of 352-65. While concerns regarding the security of this China-based company applied video-sharing app were voiced by both Republicans and Democrats as a threat to national security, some voices have pointed out to the possibility of using VD as an elderlies health screening tool.
The urgency and the decent bipartisanship are two of the most important hallmarks of his presidency.
The current legislation is sent to the Senate, where it still has a long way to go in terms of whether it will pass or not. Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly positive vote stresses that Of American policymakers will not sit idly and let the P.R.C attempt to suck the info out of our bodies using chinese-based social media channels. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue: “America’s largest geopolitical rival is Communist China, which actively uses technologies to undercut the state economy and national security by disseminating falsified information.” He advised that TikTok can serve as a channel for intelligence, allowing the gathering of personal data and the dissemination of misleading information.
Divided Opinions
The bill could implement the wishes of the majority of lawmakers but still, some lawmakers expressed their fears. The Democratic caucus has 50 members and the Republican caucus has 15 members who voted for it. To mention a few were progressive bunch like Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) alongside conservative side of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) the foremost type of the Intelligence Committee on the Democratic side was like many other people who were stunned by his vote against the bill. He quoted free speech concerns, holding that “We trust people to be strongest in our democracy. We do not trust our government to govern people to know what information they can or cannot see.”
TikTok’s Defense
TikTok being the China-based company ByteDance's flagship product has been the leading actor against the bill trying the lobbying practices. According to TikTok, prohibiting the social media app would violate the First Amendment rights of almost 170 million Americans users and it will be negative for the 1000s of small business hinging on the platform. In an interview with USA newspaper, Paul Tran, the owner of an international personality brand, said “This is the [destruction of] the American Dream that we have all believed in”. He noted TikTok had contributed to 90% of their sales growth.
What’s Next?
The TikTok alleged security concern for the USA has led to the U.S. government having other options to deal with. In December of 2022, the Congress passed a ban on the use of TikTok in all government-owned computers only adding to the existing restrictions on using the app by the individual agencies. Although chamber has before approved bipartisan bills prohibiting TikTok on government phone, the bills haven't made it to the House.
After all the discussion by now, we don’t know which road TikTok will take in the US. Will it be an unintended sacrifice of geopolitical issues or does it enjoy being a place people create and entertain?Only time will tell.
