In a unanimous vote, the US House energy and commerce committee has moved forward legislation to prohibit TikTok from app stores, citing national security concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership.
US lawmakers advanced legislation aimed at prohibiting TikTok from app stores in a unanimous vote by the House energy and commerce committee. The bipartisan decision, marked by a 50-0 vote, seeks to mitigate potential security risks associated with the platform’s Chinese ownership, particularly the fear that Beijing might access the personal data of TikTok’s 170 million American users. This legislative move intensifies the ongoing scrutiny over TikTok amid concerns that Chinese law could compel the company to share data with the Chinese government.
Despite TikTok’s attempts to counter the legislative efforts by mobilizing a significant lobbying campaign that involved persuading users to reach out to their representatives, lawmakers remained steadfast in their pursuit of the bill. They highlighted the imperative to protect national security, a stance reinforced by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and supported by the White House.
TikTok’s endeavors to mitigate these security worries, including initiating “Project Texas” to demonstrate its dedication to data security, have yet to influence lawmakers who advocate for the app’s disentanglement from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The proposed legislation, which now faces an uncertain future in the Senate, mandates ByteDance to relinquish its ownership of TikTok within 180 days of the bill’s enactment.
The unanimous committee vote underscores the bipartisan consensus on the issue of national security. However, the legislation also poses questions regarding the balance between safeguarding free speech and addressing security concerns, a debate that continues as the bill progresses through the legislative process.
