A TikTok ban in the US is as soon as once more on the desk for Congress. The USA Home of Representatives handed a brand new invoice banning the favored video-sharing app.
The twenty first Century Peace by Power Act bundles just a few issues, akin to offering overseas assist to Ukraine and Israel, however it could additionally embody a ban on the ByteDance-owned app TikTok. The vote concerning the divest-or-ban measure that will lead to a TikTok ban handed in a vote of 360-58. Final month, the decrease chamber of Congress handed a invoice explicitly focusing on a TikTok ban, but it surely noticed no motion as soon as it was despatched to the Senate.
This invoice additionally adjustments ByteDance’s deadline to promote the app, giving the corporate 9 months as a substitute of the six talked about within the Defending People from International Adversary Managed Functions Act to promote TikTok to a different firm or funding group. Nonetheless, the invoice notes that the President can prolong the deadline by 90 days if progress signifies a sale to the app is nearing completion.
Whereas the earlier TikTok ban invoice final month noticed no motion, the probability of the most recent invoice heading to a vote within the Senate and onto the President’s desk has elevated as a result of it bundles overseas assist to U.S.-allied nations. Although President Biden has signaled he helps a invoice banning the app in the US, it’s ironic that the President’s marketing campaign group joined the app earlier this 12 months as a part of their efforts to re-elect the President forward of the 2024 election.
One other Shot at Making an attempt to Ban TikTok
For the final a number of years, Capital Hill has mentioned banning TikTok, with many citing that its possession by a Chinese language-based firm threatens nationwide safety. Those that oppose the ban, such because the free speech group the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argue {that a} TikTok ban violates free speech.
The app is presently banned from being put in on Federal government-owned smartphones. Governments in over 30 states, together with Florida, Maryland, and Vermont, have additionally imposed comparable guidelines. The TikTok ban on a state stage has additionally reached a number of faculties throughout the US, such as Clemon College, which makes the app inaccessible to anybody related to the wired and wi-fi networks on campus.
Because the first TikTok ban invoice handed final month, the app has been vocal on its platform, with CEO Shou Zi Chew telling customers final month to “make their voices heard.” Since then, the video app’s official account has made a refined push by encouraging customers to help in avoiding a ban from occurring in the US with the hashtag #KeepTikTok. In one video printed earlier this month, TikTok printed knowledge that confirmed what number of lively customers are in the US and the monetary impression that may very well be imposed on small companies and creators if the ban occurs.
Although the invoice has but to turn into regulation that will make a TikTok ban a actuality, except ByteDance sells, some people have vocally expressed curiosity in shopping for the app. One notable particular person is former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You’ll be able to observe her on Twitter @TayNixster.