Bill against TikTok in the United States
A bill against TikTok in the United States has been approved and could soon be brought to a vote and puts this Chinese social network at risk.
The anti-TikTok bill in the United States is taking shape, and will now have to pass through the chambers for approval.
During the first week of this month, the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced and unanimously approved a bill against TikTok in the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden has assured that if the bill passes the legislative process he will approve it.
In recent years, TikTok has gained remarkable popularity and reach on the Internet.
Currently, according to Statista figures, the platform will have over 900 million users this year and the United States is its main market, with close to 150 million users (in Colombia there are some 27 million, according to the same source).
However, despite being its main market, the platform faces a regulatory landscape that seems challenging, to say the least.
This is a concern that is shared by other authorities and for this reason, the bill against TikTok in the United States will have a lot of support.
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Bill against TikTok in the United States: Homeland Security
Last year, the European Union and Canada banned the use of the app among public officials.
This measure was also imitated by the U.S. government.
From the U.S. House of Representatives, the proposal, known as the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act, was endorsed in the first instance.
The bill indicates that the Chinese social network would have a period of approximately five months to disassociate itself from the parent company ByteDance.
Failure to comply with the measure stipulated in the regulation will result in TikTok being banned from app stores such as the Play Store and Apple Store in the United States.
Participating countries on the “Foreign Adversaries” list include China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.
Non-compliant operating system digital stores would be fined US$5,000 per registered user.
This Wednesday, March 13, will be held the plenary that will decide on the approval of the bill. The review process will be fast-tracked, which means that two-thirds of the House of Representatives will be enough to approve the measure.
The bill is still pending in the Senate and, if passed, will make its way to the White House.
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Following the approval of the anti-TikTok bill in the United States, TikTok called the proposal a blow to free speech.
It also responded with a campaign on its platform calling on users to take action against the U.S. government’s proposal.
The notice reads: “The government is trying to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free speech. This will harm millions of businesses, deny audiences to artists, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
Mike Gallagher, one of the driving forces behind the GOP legislative initiative, explained that, “TikTok could continue to exist and people could do whatever they want on it as long as the app is separated from its parent company. It’s not a ban: think of this as a surgery designed to remove the tumor to save the patient.”
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Bobby Kotick, former head of Activision Blizzard, is reportedly looking for potential partners to finalize the purchase of TikTok.
One of the prominent names, according to reports, is Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
