NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban in the United States.
For years, the app has faced questions about security measures and data sharing, both federally and in states across the country.
The Commonwealth has also worked to pass their own TikTok bill, which would have banned minors from accessing the app. The bill failed to pass just last month in February 2024.
A bill that could lead to a national TikTok ban passed unanimously in a House committee last week, stemming from concerns the parent company ByteDance has potential connections to the Chinese government. Take a look at the proposed legislation here.
Myles McNutt, Ph.D. from Old Dominion University joined Digital Host Sarah Goode to discuss TikTok at the Digital Desk. Watch the full conversation in the video player on this page.
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a statement, which can be found below:
“The bill prevents app store availability or web hosting services in the U.S. for ByteDance-controlled applications, including TikTok, unless the application severs ties to entities like ByteDance that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary, as defined by Congress in Title 10.”
TikTok’s parent company is ByteDance. Based in Beijing, China, the internet technology company was founded in 2012. It released TikTok in 2017.
“This is my message to TikTok: break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users,” said Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). “America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States. TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance.”
If the app does not divest from ByteDance within the bill’s allotted timeframe, six months, it could lead to a ban in the United States.
TikTok released a statement last week following news of the legislation:
“This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it. This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs.”
Concerns about data are not new.
In 2023, TikTok launched the program Project Texas to focus on U.S. Data Security. According to the site, after facing scrutiny to the company’s “Chinese heritage,” they wanted to be transparent and accountable for U.S. data.
According to TikTok, Project Texas is an initiative designed by the platform to address issues such as corporate governance, content recommendation and moderation, data security and system access.
Even after the creation of such initiatives, there are still questions about U.S. data with the connection back to parent company ByteDance and China. And many politicians are vocal, worrying about possible foreign interference.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January 2024 about the unit. Based on internal documents from both current and former employees, “managers sometimes instruct workers to share data with colleagues in other parts of the company and with ByteDance workers without going through official channels.”
TikTok has denied allegations ByteDance is giving U.S. data to the Chinese government.
TikTok would not be the first app forced to divest from a China-based company. In 2020, Grindr was sold by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd for $608.5 million after data concerns.
If the proposed bill advances, a potential TikTok sale could be in the works. The news has already sparked conversation on Wall Street and amongst potential US buyers.
The process is expected to begin this week, and eyes will be watching the bills progress.
President Biden has already said if the bill reaches his desk he will sign it. He recently made a TikTok account during the Super Bowl.
With the election more than six months away, based on the current bill, the app would still be online throughout the campaign season.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a statement against the bill, citing violations to First Amendment rights of the hundreds of million of Americans who use the app daily.
“We’re deeply disappointed that our leaders are once again attempting to trade our First Amendment rights for cheap political points during an election year,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. “Just because the bill sponsors claim that banning TikTok isn’t about suppressing speech, there’s no denying that it would do just that. We strongly urge legislators to vote no on this unconstitutional bill.”
Communications expert McNutt said conversations about the app and potential bans are not new. Watch McNutt in the clip, below.
“This is a conversation I’ve been having with my students for a while now actually,” McNutt said. I have my students make TikToks in one of my classes. And, it’s an exercise to talk about an app that’s deeply important to contemporary culture”.
The app is part of the fabric of their generation and lives, according to McNutt. And, in his course “Understanding Media”, questions and discussion are welcome.
“I did have some students sort of express ‘well, I have a government device, right, that all of a sudden I can’t use TikTok’,” McNutt said. “Or, ‘I’m concerned about security’. And, I’m like those are all really interesting conversations that we should be having about how the app works and how it functions.”
McNutt questioned whether or not those questions are enough to ban TikTok or force them to divest.
Data and privacy concerns are not isolated to TikTok.
American-based companies have also faced scrutiny including platforms from Meta. Child safety has also been a persistent topic in the space, lawmakers citing mental health challenges United States youth are facing.
Follow along for updates on the bill from WAVY-TV 10.
