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The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted Wednesday to give President Joe Biden the power to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, in what would be the broadest US ban of any kind. social media app. Lawmakers voted 24-16 to approve the measure that gives the administration new powers to ban the ByteDance-owned app, which is used by more than 100 million Americans, as well as other apps that are considered security risks. "TikTok is a national security threat... It's time to act," said Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the committee that sponsored the bill.
“Anyone who downloaded TikTok on their device gave the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) a back door to all their personal information. It's a spy balloon on your phone."
Democrats opposed the bill, saying it was rushed and required due diligence through debate and expert consultation. The bill does not specify precisely how the ban would work, but it does give Biden the power to ban any transactions with TikTok, which could prevent anyone in the United States from accessing or downloading the app on their phone.
The bill would also require Biden to ban any entity that "could" transfer sensitive personal data to an entity subject to Chinese influence.
TikTok has come under increasing criticism in recent weeks over fears that user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, which would undermine Western security interests.
Also Read: TikTok Will Develop Parental Control Tool To Block Certain Videos: Report
This week, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal device or system. More than 30 states in the US, Canada, and political institutions in the European Union have also banned TikTok from being uploaded to state-owned devices.
The fate of the latest measure is still uncertain and it faces significant hurdles before it becomes law. The bill would have to pass the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives and Senate before it can be submitted to Biden.
“An American ban on TikTok is a ban on exporting American culture and values to the billion people who use our service around the world,” a TikTok spokeswoman said after the vote.
The Biden administration has not said whether or not it favors passing the bill, or whether it believes Biden now has the legal authority to ban TikTok.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said "TikTok is a problem and a problem, so we're concerned about that as far as data from Americans is concerned."
'BAN INSTINCT'
Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the committee, said he strongly opposes the legislation but understands the concerns about TikTok.
“The Republican instinct to ban things you fear, from books to speech, seems uninhibited,” Meeks said, adding that the bill would require the administration to sanction TikTok and other subsidiaries of TikTok's parent company.
The US government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, unanimously recommended in 2020 that ByteDance divest TikTok over concerns that user data could be passed on. to the Chinese government.
TikTok and CFIUS have been negotiating data security requirements for more than two years. TikTok said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on strict data security efforts and denies the spying claims. Meeks wants the talks to continue.
Meeks said the bill is "dangerously" broad and would require US sanctions against Korean and Taiwanese companies that supply Chinese companies with semiconductor chips and other equipment because of their sweeping restrictions on data transfers to China.
The American Civil Liberties Union called on lawmakers to oppose the bill, calling it a "serious violation of our First Amendment rights."
McCaul told Reuters after the vote that he expects the bill to pass the House this month.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will appear before the US Committee on Commerce and Energy on March 23 after meeting with lawmakers last month on Capitol Hill.
