Staff Reports
The Senate voted on Tuesday to make the Chinese company that owns TikTok sell the social media app or face a ban. This decision is part of a larger $95 billion package that gives aid to Ukraine and Israel. President Joe Biden plans to sign the bill. House Republicans attached the TikTok measure to the aid package last week, which helped speed up the process.
BREAKING: Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature https://t.co/S4cC1zmbue
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 24, 2024
The original bill only gave the company six months to sell TikTok, but the revised legislation now gives them nine months with a possible three-month extension. It also prevents the company from controlling the app’s algorithm, which is what suggests videos to users based on their interests.
Lawmakers have worried for a long time that the Chinese government could use TikTok to get information on Americans or influence what content users see. The bill’s supporters say it is meant to protect Americans from potential threats. However, some people think that banning TikTok is not the best way to protect people’s privacy. They believe that a federal law to protect data privacy from all companies, not just Chinese ones, is a better solution.
Senator Ron Wyden voted for the bill but still has concerns. He worries that it might limit free speech and not do enough to protect the privacy of users. He plans to keep an eye on how the bill is put into action.
The Chinese government has said it will oppose the forced sale of TikTok. The company has also said it will take the matter to court. In the past, TikTok has been successful in court challenges. The company has also been in talks with the government agency responsible for examining corporate deals for security issues.
TikTok content creators have been speaking out against the bill as well. Some creators even gathered in front of the Capitol to show their opposition. They believe that TikTok is currently a safe platform for users, especially because of a $1.5 billion plan to store U.S. user data on servers owned by Oracle.
This decision has sparked a lot of debate and legal action, and it remains to be seen how it will affect TikTok and its millions of American users.
