Last week, a bipartisan group of House Members introduced a bill to force ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the popular video app to a buyer from the United States or another f
a bipartisan group of House Members introduced a bill to force ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the popular video app to a buyer from the United States or another friendly country.
TikTok fought back. It began sending its users pop-ups urging them to “take action” against a “TikTok shutdown.” (In fact, the bill would not shut down TikTok, but merely require it to be sold to a buyer from a friendly country.)
TikTok users, including minor children, flooded Congress with calls. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) recounted that some of these children called the office and said “‘What is a congressman? What is Congress?’ They had no idea what was going on.”
The incident proved what many have long feared: TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company and thus ultimately subject to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), can mobilize its young users to generate political effects in the United States.
On Wednesday, the House approved the bill by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. President Biden has promised to sign it. Now action shifts to the Senate, where the bill’s fate is uncertain.
TikTok is a Powerful Weapon in CCP Hands
Military leaders have warned that the U.S. and China may go to war this decade. If that happens, what would the CCP order TikTok to do?
Spread videos of American troops under fire to demoralize our population?
Serve military reservists videos urging them not to report for duty? (With the vast data it harvests from users, TikTok can easily identify American troops who use the app.)
Promote videos encouraging young Americans to hold antiwar protests at military bases in the United States?
Another concern is TikTok’s extensive data harvesting: the app collects vast amounts of personal data about its American users. That data can then be accessed by Beijing-based employees who answer to the Chinese Communist Party. The CCP can use the data to blackmail Americans, target cyberattacks against our industries, and more.
The bottom line: TikTok’s reach, influence, and data are too powerful to be in the hands of our most dangerous geopolitical rival.
The TikTok Bill is Constitutional
One key question facing Senators: is it legal? Some in Congress claim that forcing a sale of TikTok would violate the Constitution.
It would not. The House bill rests on longstanding judicial precedent.
