Washington D.C. – The ongoing debate over the popular short video app TikTok has taken a new turn as U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has raised concerns about banning the app. This comes ahead of a vote next week by the U.S. House of Representatives on a bill that would give TikTok owner ByteDance six months to divest the app.
In a late night post on social media site Truth Social, the former Republican president expressed his concerns about the potential ban of TikTok. He stated that if TikTok is banned, it would only benefit other social media giants like Facebook, who would see a significant increase in their business. Trump also added that he does not want Facebook to do better at the expense of TikTok.
However, the Trump campaign has not yet commented on whether the former president has a position on the legislation. On the other hand, Facebook’s parent company Meta has declined to comment on the matter.
The Energy and Commerce Committee has already approved the legislation with a unanimous vote of 50-0. The bill aims to crack down on TikTok, which currently has around 170 million users in the United States.
If the bill is passed, ByteDance will have 165 days to divest TikTok. Failure to do so would result in app stores like Apple and Google not being able to offer TikTok or provide web hosting services to any applications controlled by ByteDance.
It is worth noting that Trump had previously attempted to ban TikTok and another Chinese-owned app, WeChat, in 2020. However, his efforts were blocked by the courts.
In an executive order issued in August 2020, Trump had expressed concerns about TikTok’s data collection, stating that it could potentially give the Chinese Communist Party access to personal and proprietary information of Americans. He also raised concerns about the possibility of China tracking the locations of federal employees and contractors, blackmailing individuals with personal information, and conducting corporate espionage.
TikTok has repeatedly denied these allegations and has stated that it has not and will not share any user data with the Chinese government. The company argues that the House bill is essentially a ban and it is not clear if China would approve any potential sale of the app. Moreover, it is uncertain if ByteDance would be able to divest TikTok within the given timeframe of six months.
In response to the vote, TikTok released a statement saying, “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States.” The company also added, “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression.”
The app’s popularity and the fact that it is an election year may make it difficult for the legislation to be approved by both the House and the Senate. In fact, last month, Democratic President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign even joined TikTok.
On the other hand, Trump’s campaign has not yet joined the app. However, with his recent comments, it is clear that he is not in favor of banning TikTok.
In conclusion, the debate over TikTok’s future in the United States continues to be a hot topic. While the House bill aims to address concerns about data privacy and security, it also raises questions about the potential impact on free expression and the app’s millions of users. As the vote approaches, it remains to be seen what the future holds for TikTok in the United States.
