In a rare ‘bipartisan’ move, the US House of Representatives yesterday voted 352-65 in favour of legislation that could ban TikTok. If the company’s owner, ByteDance, does not sell the application within 6 months, TikTok will be removed from application stores in the US.
The passage of federal legislation targeting TikTok in the House of Representatives is the most advanced step since lawmakers began questioning whether the app’s Chinese ownership compromised national security. The bill, which would require TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell or shut down the app, now goes to the Senate.
The fact that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not made a clear statement about when he will bring the bill to the Senate floor suggests that there will be a long process to get the bill passed.
Some senators, including Senator Rand Paul, are concerned that the bill could violate free speech rights.
If the bill were to become law, it is possible that the TikTok ban could have an impact on the economy created by creators, small businesses, and advertisers.
In the event of a TikTok ban, it has been estimated that content creators and their followers may turn to alternative platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat to compensate for the loss.
This change could also benefit US-based Meta and Alphabet, as they are expected to receive some of TikTok’s advertising revenue.
“This is a ban based on zero evidence,” a company spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
According to research group OpenSecrets, TikTok has spent over $21 million lobbying to fight the ban since 2019.
The decision has caused discomfort in China as well. A spokesman for the foreign ministry accused the US of ‘suppressing TikTok’ and stated that “In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the US itself.”
According to Reuters, if President Joe Biden were to follow through on his promise to sign a ban on TikTok due to its ties to the Chinese government, it could potentially impact his re-election campaign by depriving him and other Democrats of a platform that they rely on to reach young voters.
On Tuesday, Biden’s campaign received thousands of likes on a TikTok video that criticized his Republican rival, Donald Trump, for cutting social security spending. However, the comments section was focused on a different topic altogether. The current situation regarding TikTok is being discussed in the Senate, with the White House advocating for a ban. President Biden has expressed his intention to sign the bill if it is passed.
It is worth noting that a significant portion of TikTok’s user base identifies as Democrats, and it is important for the Biden administration to consider their views. Conversely, it is worth noting that the Trump campaign does not have an official TikTok account.
According to the Pew Research Centre’s 2023 survey, approximately 60% of TikTok’s regular users identify as Democrats or lean towards the Democratic party. According to available data, it appears that a significant proportion of TikTok’s user base comprises individuals who identify as Black or Hispanic, with rates of 19% and 30% respectively. These figures are somewhat higher than the corresponding percentages of the general US population, which stand at 14% and 19%. Additionally, it is worth noting that a considerable proportion of TikTok’s users fall within the 18-29 age range, accounting for approximately 44% of the platform’s consumer base.
The White House provided information to over 70 influencers and content creators with a combined following of more than 100 million on social media platforms, including TikTok, regarding topics such as student debt and economic issues. This was done to increase the reach of the President’s message prior to his State of the Union address.
A senior White House official expressed confidence and stated that they are not worried about the ban affecting President Biden’s re-election prospects. Another White House official emphasized the importance of national security concerns over personal opinions. According to a second White House official, the President’s consideration of national security is not influenced by users’ comments on social media platforms such as TikTok.
It is worth noting that federal employees are not permitted to have TikTok on their phones, and as such, the Biden administration staff are not allowed to have the app on their work phones.
