US House passes bill that could ban TikTok nationwide

[Social Media]

 

The US House of Representatives has passed a significant bill that could potentially result in a nationwide ban of TikTok, the popular social media app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. If enacted into law, the bill would require ByteDance to sell its controlling stake in TikTok within six months, or else the app would be blocked in the United States.

 

Concerns over national security and Chinese influence have long surrounded TikTok, given ByteDance's base in Beijing and the Chinese government's laws requiring data sharing. Lawmakers fear that sensitive user data could be compromised or misused, posing a threat to US national security.

 

Despite TikTok's attempts to assure regulators of data privacy measures, including efforts to wall off US user data from Chinese access, investigations have revealed ongoing vulnerabilities and data sharing between TikTok and ByteDance in China. High-profile incidents, such as unauthorized access to user data by ByteDance employees, have heightened these concerns.

 

The bill's passage in the House was bipartisan, reflecting widespread agreement on the need to address the national security risks associated with TikTok. However, it still needs approval from the Senate and the president to become law.

 

 

Former President Donald Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok during his tenure, has expressed opposition to the bill, citing a recent meeting with a Republican donor who reportedly owns a stake in ByteDance. Some House members, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, have echoed Trump's concerns, suggesting that the bill could set a precedent for Congress to force the sale of other corporations.

 

Despite opposition from some quarters, leaders of the Senate intelligence committee have welcomed the House vote, emphasizing the national security threat posed by TikTok's ownership by ByteDance, which is legally obligated to comply with Chinese government demands.

 

If the bill progresses through the Senate and is signed into law by President Joe Biden, it could prompt a diplomatic confrontation with China, as ByteDance would need approval from Chinese officials to complete a forced divestiture. Beijing has indicated its opposition to such measures, warning that they could damage bilateral relations and disrupt international economic and trade order.

 

The potential sale of TikTok's stake would likely attract significant interest from US investors and tech companies, given the app's substantial reach and advertising revenue. However, concerns over antitrust issues and the hefty price tag associated with TikTok could complicate any potential deals.

 

Overall, the passage of this bill reflects ongoing efforts to address national security risks posed by foreign-owned technology platforms operating in the United States, particularly those with ties to adversarial governments like China.

 

14.03.24

Source

 

[KhunLA]

More censorship of free speech, nothing more, nothing less 

 

Politicians can't take the truth being exposed about them.

[Skipalongcassidy]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

More censorship of free speech, nothing more, nothing less 

 

Politicians can't take the truth being exposed about them.

I do not think that that is the case at all... House passes bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S., sending it to the Senate (nbcnews.com)

[bamnutsak]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

Former President Donald Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok during his tenure, has expressed opposition to the bill, citing a recent meeting with a Republican donor who reportedly owns a stake in ByteDance.

 

 

Jeff Yass.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/jeff-yass-billionaire-donor-investments-tiktoks-parent-company-rcna142531

 

 

 

[Tug]

Sell the site to an acceptable buyer not hostile to the USA and all will be fine,now that would be a bigly amount of coin!!

[AverageAussie]

TikTok has had an amazing rise to popularity in recent years - which (in part) explains why this is now such a significant issue and has the potential for a further diplomatic rift.

 

 

Just for the record, I'm not part of the 40% and don't intend to be. Personally I think the Chinese are more clever than we give them credit for and have devised the perfect tool to (further) dumb down the masses in the US & elsewhere in the world (everywhere but China). 

[candide]

On 3/13/2024 at 11:06 PM, Social Media said:

Concerns over national security and Chinese influence have long surrounded TikTok, given ByteDance's base in Beijing and the Chinese government's laws requiring data sharing. Lawmakers fear that sensitive user data could be compromised or misused, posing a threat to US national security.

That's an understatement. All data centers of Internet firms in China are supervised by security forces and the data controlled in real time.

[gargamon]

On 3/14/2024 at 6:27 AM, KhunLA said:

More censorship of free speech, nothing more, nothing less 

 

Politicians can't take the truth being exposed about them.

Hardly free speech. Try posting something on TikTok that is critical of the Chinese handling of the Uyghurs and see how long it takes for it to get removed. 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, gargamon said:

Hardly free speech. Try posting something on TikTok that is critical of the Chinese handling of the Uyghurs and see how long it takes for it to get removed. 

I don't do tiktok, but for the USA (land of the free) ... and speech #1, well, nuff said.

 

Going after tiktok, and after Elon for allowing free speech on 'X', pretty much show how free things are.   I know from personal experience, being audited by IRS, when criticizing the WH, (Obama & Bush 2).  It's no joke, which is a sad joke within itself.

 

Part of the reason I'm here 

[John Drake]

Does China allow its citizens to download Tik Tok? If not, then why should any other country?

[Danderman123]

"Former President Donald Trump, who previously attempted to ban TikTok during his tenure, has expressed opposition to the bill, citing a recent meeting with a Republican donor who reportedly owns a stake in ByteDance."

 

Trump's Tik Tok flip flop.

 

For enough money, Trump supports China.