The social network TikTok is once again in the sights of American parliamentarians. The American House of Representatives will again examine on Saturday a bill which provides for the banning of the social network in the United States. They hope to force the social network to cut its ties with its parent company ByteDance, and more broadly with China.
The measure is included in a series of texts supposed to release funds for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine – which could facilitate its passage in both houses of Congress. The proposed law would force ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app within a few months or else it would be barred from Apple and Google’s app stores in the United States.
Legislative Trojan horse
It would also give the US president the power to designate other applications as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country considered hostile to the United States. This proposed law was strongly criticized by TikTok.
“It is regrettable that the House of Representatives is using the pretext of significant foreign and humanitarian aid to once again push through a proposed ban that would violate the free speech rights of 170 million Americans,” said a spokesperson for the application.
TikTok has been in the crosshairs of American authorities for several months, with many officials believing that the short and entertaining video platform allows Beijing to spy on and manipulate its users in the United States.