User Mobilization Against Proposed TikTok Ban
According to reports, TikTok users have been calling lawmakers’ offices nonstop to voice their opposition to a measure that would have forced the platform’s parent firm to remove the app or risk being banned in the US.
On Thursday, the House energy and commerce committee fully approved the measure, which has the support of over a dozen lawmakers, by a vote of 50 to 0. In response, TikTok sent out a message to a large portion of its estimated 170 million US users, urging them to voice their disapproval to Congress.
A feature that lets users look up their representative’s number by entering their zip code was included in the notice. As a result of this outreach, congressional workers told the Washington Post that they received up to 20 calls per minute from TikTok users, forcing several offices to temporarily close their phone lines.
Congressman Vern Buchanan of Florida’s Taylor Hulsey, the director of communications, said on Twitter/X that staff members were “getting a lot of calls from high schoolers asking what a Congressman is.”
Legislative Response and Criticism
The measure would prohibit TikTok from US software marketplaces, such as the Apple software Store and Google Play Store, and allow parent firm ByteDance 165 days to sell.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, one of the bill’s supporters, called TikTok’s announcement a “massive propaganda campaign” that “falsely labels” the proposal as a complete ban on the app. Other lawmakers have also voiced their opposition to the app.
According to Krishnamoorthi and others, TikTok may avoid a ban if its Chinese parent firm sells up its stake.
A representative for TikTok, Michael Hughes, disputed how legislators had described the measure, saying that its “predetermined outcome is a total ban of TikTok in the United States.” “170 million Americans are being deprived of their constitutional right to free expression by the government,” he said. “This will destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the nation, harm millions of businesses, and deny artists an audience.”
Ongoing Political Battle and Future Steps for TikTok Ban
The measure is the most recent attempt by US politicians to wage a political battle on the platform because of concerns that China-based ByteDance may gather private user information and censor material that deviates from the CCP’s demands.
TikTok has said time and time again that foreign investors hold 60% of ByteDance and that the Chinese government has no influence over the company. With many state bans passing and a legislative hearing including TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, the push to outlaw the app became stronger in 2022 and the first part of 2023, but eventually calmed down.
The new measure has spurred serious efforts again. The measure will next be put to a full House vote, which majority leader Steve Scalise of the House said may happen as soon as next week. Its odds of clearing the Senate and the House, however, are still questionable.
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council praised the bill as “an important and welcome step” and stated that the Biden administration would collaborate with Congress “to further strengthen this legislation and put it on the strongest possible legal footing.” The Biden administration officially supported the legislation.
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