The future of TikTok in the United States is now in question after the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the viral video platform, to sell its stake in the American business. The measure, part of a foreign aid package, passed by a significant margin and is awaiting Senate approval. If signed into law, President Joe Biden has indicated his support for the legislation.
TikTok has vowed to contest any ban or forced sale through legal channels, with Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, mentioning that the bill is deemed unconstitutional. Beckerman cited the first amendment of the US constitution, safeguarding freedom of speech, as the basis for their legal challenge against the legislation in the courts.
Concerns surrounding TikTok revolve around fears that user data could be exploited by the Chinese government. While TikTok denies these claims, critics argue that under Chinese security laws, ByteDance could be obliged to share data with authorities if requested. The platform has faced scrutiny from lawmakers in the US and other parts of the Western world regarding data privacy and security.
The potential ban would see TikTok removed from US app stores, rendering it inaccessible to new users and limiting updates for existing ones. This could lead to a gradual decline in user experience and functionality over time. Legal experts suggest the ban may face challenges on First Amendment grounds, revolving around freedom of speech versus national security concerns.
If the ban is enforced, users could potentially find workarounds such as utilizing VPNs or offline app installation, although these methods may prove cumbersome and not sustainable in the long term. The impact of a TikTok ban in the US would extend beyond just the app itself, affecting millions of users and businesses that rely on the platform.
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