The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban TikTok if it is not divested from its Chinese parent company.
the house I voted 352-61-1 HR 7521, Protecting Americans from Foreign Enemy Control Applications Act. The bill was opposed by 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats, demonstrating strong bipartisan interest in curbing TikTok’s clear national security threat.
The vote on the TikTok bill was controversial for Republicans, with those concerned about the national security implications of allowing millions of Americans to use the Chinese-owned app and those concerned about the national security implications of allowing a Chinese-owned app to be used by large corporations. Opinions were divided among those concerned about the possibility of giving powers to the government. Technology companies such as Google and Facebook.
in a bestselling book Blood Money: Why those in power turn a blind eye while China kills Americans, Breitbart News senior contributor and GAI Chairman Peter Schweitzer said the restrictions show how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views the app as a psychological warfare weapon aimed squarely at American youth. exposed military journal entries.
Colonel Dai Xu, a professor at China’s top military school, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) National Defense University (PLA-NDU), wrote in one of the restricted magazines that the real battle between the United States and China is “information-driven. ”. He titled it “Psychological Warfare,” and likened apps like TikTok and social media platforms to “modern-day Trojan horses.”
TikTok’s popularity has exploded in part because entertainment industry celebrities like Jimmy Fallon have gone on air without disclosing any partnerships with Chinese companies that are trying to drum up interest in the app.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) Said“TikTok is a Chinese Communist Party spy app. Plain and simple. House Republicans want to send a clear message that TikTok must sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to American users.” And we just passed a bipartisan bill to protect Americans’ data.”
In contrast, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) said: privacy. Surveillance. Content management.Who owns it? #ticktock? Investors 60% – 20% including Americans + 7,000 employees – 20% including Americans Founder CEO and Headquarters Singapore Texas data held by Oracle What does ownership change? Vote against. ”
Let’s solve the correct problem.
privacy.
Surveillance.
Content management.Who owns it? #ticktock?
60% of investors – including Americans
20% + 7,000 employees (including Americans)
20% are founders
CEO and Headquarters Singapore
Texas data held by OracleWhat does ownership change? I vote NO. pic.twitter.com/MrfROe02IS
— Warren Davidson 🇺🇸 (@WarrenDavidson) March 13, 2024
Former President Donald Trump expressed opposition to banning the app.
“If you eliminate TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“We don’t want Facebook to do better after they cheated in the last election. They are the true enemy of the people!” the 45th president said.
Many Trump supporters now seem to be more open to Tiktok.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami has become more open about the app, Tucker Carlson has joined the platform, and Elon Musk, who recently met with Trump, agrees with Trump’s post defending TikTok. did.
The passage of the TikTok bill in the Senate is uncertain, as the Senate is unlikely to pass the bill as is.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Said“I think there’s a good chance that we’ll take their bill and amend it and say we’ve found some things that we think need improvement. If you try to deal with it, you’re playing a game of whack-a-mole because today’s TikTok is next week’s TokTik or TicTak or whatever.”
“We’re taking things slowly here and it’s going to take time,” he added.
In fact, the Senate’s 60-vote threshold requires unanimity for legislation to pass.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) did not say whether Congress would vote on the bill soon.
“We need and will consult with the chairs of the relevant committees to see what their views are,” he said.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
