The US ban was called unconstitutional by TikTok
Chinese social media platform TikTok has challenged a US law that would ban ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. ByteDance, not TikTok, controls the algorithm that determines what millions see on the app every day, TikTok’s challenge states. “Banning TikTok is so unconstitutional that the Act’s sponsors have tried to depict the law not as a ban at all but as a regulation of TikTok’s ownership,” it added.
Should China have a piece of TikTok?
The US House of Representatives has passed a legislation that would ban TikTok unless the app separated from Chinese parent company ByteDance. The legislation would require TikTok to separate from ByteDance within 90 days of enactment. It also imposes sanctions on ByteDance, its affiliates and executives who interfere in US elections or carry out activities harmful to the US.
The bill that was passed by the House could ban TikTok
TikTok’s parent firm ByteDance said it removed the Chinese influence operation from its platforms in November of last year. This comes after US intelligence officials said that the Chinese government used TikTok to influence the upcoming mid-term elections and promote their propaganda. The lawmakers said the bill could not be used against American social media companies or individual social media users.
Why the House seems ready to ban a toy
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok within six months of the law’s enactment. The legislation requires ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to quit the app within six months. Notably, TikTok had said that American user data wouldn’t be accessible to anyone in China.
Biden would not ban TikTok
After US lawmakers proposed a law to stop TikTok from selling in the country, a White House official said, “Obviously, this is about our national security.” The bill would require TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the app because of national security concerns about its use and store of data or face a ban.