TikTok CEO Xiang Chu has loudly protested the continued success of a bill to force China to divest from the social media app.
The House of Representatives easily passed a bill Wednesday that would require TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to withdraw from the app. Otherwise, TikTok will be banned from being distributed in the United States.
“In recent years, we have invested in keeping your data safe and our platform safe from outside manipulation, and we are committed to continuing to do so. If signed into law, TikTok will be banned in the United States,” Chu claimed in the video.
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TikTok CEO Shou Chiu attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with representatives of social media companies at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“We will never stop fighting and advocating for you. We will do everything in our power, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform we have built with you. We will continue to do so,” Chu told users. “I believe we can get through this together.”
The bill was sponsored in the House by House China Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.). It received overwhelming bipartisan support, passing by a vote of 352 to 65.
President Biden has publicly said he will sign the proposed TikTok divestment bill once it reaches his desk.
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This photo illustration shows the TikTok app download page on an Apple iPhone in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The bill’s future in the Senate is unclear, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not committed to the idea of considering it.
“Let’s see what the House does,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday before the House passed the bill. “We need and will consult with the chairs of the relevant committees to find out what their views are.”
But the overwhelming bipartisan support for the bill so far will make it difficult for Schumer and other senators to ignore.
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Participants hold signs supporting TikTok outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I encourage you to continue to share your stories, share them with your friends, share them with your family, share them with your senators. Protect your constitutional rights and protect yourself,” Chu said in the video. Please make your voice heard,” he concluded.
Critics of TikTok have long warned that the social media app poses a national security threat. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to use its power over ByteDance to access sensitive user data.
China hawks also warn that the app is gaining popularity among young Americans and is giving the ruling Chinese Communist Party a platform for a massive influence campaign.
