Is America Banning TikTok? Your Cheatsheet for the Controversy that Threatens Thousands of Influencers
The buzz around the ban on TikTok in the US has created quite a stir not only in the entertainment world but also in the financial and political realm. The US government believes that the app is secretly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and could be easily used to breach the national security of their country. The popular app is owned by Byte Dance.
Countries including India, Belgium, EU, France New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Britain, and France have already banned the controversial app. Now, the US is also in the race to join the list of countries that have banned the app.
Why TikTok Could Be Banned In The US?
The government of the US has been making headlines across the globe on its agenda to ban the widely used video-sharing social media app. The country inches a step closer to banning TikTok after the House of Representatives passed a bill, which mentioned that TikTok’s developer, ByteDance, should either divest from the company within 165 days or discontinue its US operations. If ByteDance fails to do so, popular app stores Google Play and Apple App Store would be lawfully barred from hosting the video social media app or providing web hosting to ByteDance-led applications.
According to The Guardian, The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act went on to receive 352 votes in favor and 65 against the ban.
The chief executive of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew reacted to the by the US and claimed that the video-creating platform is not involved in any unlawful activity that could breach the national security of the country. He mentioned in a video message–
“This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies, who will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk and will take away your TikTok.”
According to Al Jazeera, the US legislators believe that the parent company of TikTiok, ByteDance is secretly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Allegedly, the app can easily provide access to the personal information of millions of US citizens to the Chinese government. The next step with respect to the legislative process lies in the hands of the Senate. According to The Washington Post, multiple senators have already expressed their concerns about the legislation. Prominent senators who could help pass the legislation, have shown non-commital behavior towards the bill and the overall issue. The legislative process is still in its early stages as the bill is moving towards a skeptical Senate after which, President Joe Biden will be expected to sign it into law.
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China Makes Tall Claims Regarding TikTok Ban In The US
China has openly challenged the US on their agenda to ban TikTok. According to the BBC, China claimed that a ban on the video-sharing platform would come back to bite the US. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the US of taking a decision without any proper evidence with respect to the widely used video-creating platform. He said–
“This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts companies’ normal business activity, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order. In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself.”
“You ban TikTok, Facebook, and others, but mostly Facebook will be a big beneficiary. And I think Facebook has been very dishonest. I think Facebook has been very bad for our country, especially when it comes to elections.”
