Joe Biden recently created a TikTok account to expand the reach of his message in the run-up to the presidential elections. At the same time, however, legislation to ban the app is making steady progress in Congress. In this context, the president promised to sign it if it reached his desk.
The legislation, dubbed the ‘Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act,’ was introduced in a bipartisan framework by Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), members of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party in the Lower House.
Before potentially reaching the president’s desk, it must pass through the Senate, where a bipartisan consensus is expected to pass it.
Biden spoke to reporters on Friday afternoon and confirmed: “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”
What does the Anti-TikTok bill say?
Specifically, it would prevent app stores or web hosting services from hosting ByteDance-controlled apps, including TikTok, unless the app breaks ties with entities such as ByteDance that are “subject to the control of a foreign adversary, as defined by Congress under Title 10.”
In turn, it would create a procedure for the president to designate specific applications as being under the control of a foreign adversary per Title 10 and posing a national security risk. These applications would face the aforementioned prohibition on availability.
The legislation also has the support of the following members of Congress: Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Bob Latta (R-OH), Andre Carson (D-IN), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Chip Roy (R-TX), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Shontell Brown (D-OH), Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
The company’s response was swift, highlighting the impact it could have on small and medium-sized companies that use the social network to attract a larger number of customers.
“This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it. This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs,” Alex Haurek, a spokesperson for TikTok, told The Hill.
