TikTok ban is on the agenda of authorities, especially those concerned about data security, and some states have already started restrictions on this issue!
The latest escalation by US authorities against the Chinese-owned short-form video app is reflected in the new measure introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, the senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a bipartisan pair of congressmen in the House. Concerns have been raised about TikTok’s capacity to protect US user data from Chinese authorities.
The proposed legislation would “block and prohibit all transactions” in the United States by social media firms with at least one million monthly users that are headquartered in, or “substantially influenced by,” nations such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, or that are under the “substantial influence” of those nations.
Regulations on TikTok ban
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, are mentioned explicitly in the bill as social media companies subject to the regulations. In a Washington Post op-ed published last month, Rubio and Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, one of the bill’s supporters in the House, announced their plans to submit the legislation.
The measure was passed at the same time that a number of states, led by Republican governors, passed state-level limitations on the use of TikTok on equipment used by the public sector. At least seven states, including Maryland, South Dakota, and Utah, have introduced such laws in the last two weeks.
The flurry of activity contrasts with the protracted discussions TikTok has had with the US government for years regarding a potential agreement that may enable the company to address national security issues and to continue providing services to US consumers.
Officials made some statements on the TikTok ban
“The federal government has yet to take a single meaningful action to protect American users from the threat of TikTok,” “There is no more time to waste on meaningless negotiations with a CCP-puppet company. It is time to ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good.”
-Marco Rubio
In response to that:
“It’s troubling that rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States,” “We will continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies—plans that we are well underway in implementing—to further secure our platform in the United States,”
-Hilary McQuaide, a spokesperson for TikTok
Background of TikTok ban
In the past, TikTok has stated that it does not share information with the Chinese government and that a US-based security team chooses who is permitted access to US user data coming from China. Additionally, TikTok has admitted that staff members residing in China currently have access to user data.
The federal bill introduced on Tuesday is not the only one that pertains to TikTok. Rubio offered a plan that would require some app developers to divulge ownership information, and US senators proposed a rule that would prohibit the use of TikTok by federal agencies last year. Another bill put out this autumn would forbid TikTok from allowing staff members stationed in China to access user data belonging to US individuals.
The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the US military have already blocked TikTok on equipment they control.
What social media has to say about the TikTok ban
Reactions to the TikTok ban on social media are complex. While one group thinks that restricting and banning any social media platform is a direct attack on freedom of speech, another group stands behind the Senate, stating that they do not want their data to be shared with China. Twitter user @TristenJWinger tweeted that the platform was “wholesome” for him while asking why the government wanted to ban Tiktok.
My TikTok wholesome af, why would you want to ban this?? pic.twitter.com/qmQUCjiUzd
— Tristen J. Winger (@TristenJWinger) December 14, 2022
And that’s it for our article on the TikTok ban. What do you think about the banning of the platform, which came to the fore with its inadequacy in data security? TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has spoken about the ”how will TikTok US data be protected” topic in the past weeks.
