On March 13, 2024, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require the Chinese technology giant ByteDance to sell the social media platform TikTok. If the bill becomes law, ByteDance will have six months to sell the platform, otherwise, the United States government will ban TikTok off of app stores until ByteDance no longer owns it. The bill passed the House with a 352 to 65 majority vote, with support from both Democrats and Republicans. In early March, President Biden stated that he will sign the bill into law if it passes the Senate, saying, “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”
The main reason that the United States government wants TikTok sold or banned is that the social media platform is owned by a Chinese company. The United States government says that the Chinese government could force ByteDance to give them the data of Americans that use TikTok, which would be a major national security threat. ByteDance denies these allegations, saying that they have not shared any data with the Chinese government, and would not do so if the government tells them to. Currently, no evidence has been released showing that TikTok shares data with the Chinese government. The United States government has also accused TikTok of spreading propaganda and influencing United States elections. The company has also denied this, stating that, “TikTok has protected our platform through more than 150 elections globally and is continuing to work with electoral commissions, experts, and fact-checkers to safeguard our community during this historic election year.”
Another major reason for the government going after TikTok may be for its role in the Israel and Palestine conflict. Using TikTok, many Palestinian voices have gained an audience and have given their perspectives on the conflict. In 2023, many United States politicians accused TikTok of pushing its young audience to support Palestine and oppose Israel, claiming that the platform promoted misinformation about the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a letter, TikTok responded by assuring its users that they are committed to removing hate speech and misinformation, and denied the claim that the company pushes pro-Palestine content.
Multiple individuals have expressed interest in buying TikTok from ByteDance. Kevin O’Leary, a Canadian businessman, is interested in buying TikTok for a $20-30 billion dollar acquisition. Former Trump administration secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, has stated that he is getting together his own group of investors to buy the platform. Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of the gaming company Activision Blizzard, has approached ByteDance’s co-founder, Zhang Yiming, about buying the social media platform. Kotick has also reportedly told OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about his interest in buying TikTok.
A lot of concerns have been raised over the bill and the United States government’s power over social media platforms. While the United States government has stated that the bill is not intended to ban TikTok, the company argues that the bill “…has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States.” The company argues that the bill is an infringement on Americans’ freedom of speech and the 1st Amendment, saying, “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
It will likely be months before the bill is voted on in the Senate, where opinion on the bill is much more mixed than the House. Former President Donald Trump, who pushed a ban of TikTok during his term in office, stated that he opposes a TikTok ban as it would give too much power to Facebook. TikTok is currently running ad campaigns encouraging its users to oppose the bill, and the company will likely pursue legal action if the bill is signed into law. For now, the fate of TikTok in the United States is uncertain.
Sophomore Nicholas Carpenter is the news editor. His email is ncarpent@fandm.edu.