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A new US bill could force ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok, while the social media app said the legislation will ‘trample the First Amendment rights of 170m Americans’.
US lawmakers are once again trying to force Chinese-based Bytedance to distance itself from Tiktok or face the threat of a nationwide ban.
A US bipartisan coalition introduced a new bill that would prevent app store availability or web hosting services for ByteDance-controlled applications, unless the app “severs ties” with the parent company.
The bill is part of broader concerns in the US that TikTok may be providing private user data to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for surveillance purposes. The threat of a ban has been on the table for some time, as TikTok confirmed last year that it was issued an ultimatum by US officials to adjust its ownership.
The new bill is a significant development as, if it passes, it would give ByteDance roughly six months from when the bill passes into law to divest TikTok to avoid the national ban. US politician Mike Gallagher said the messaged to TikTok is to “break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users”.
“America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States,” Gallagher said. “TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance.”
TikTok responded on X and called the bill “an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it”.
“This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170m Americans and deprive 5m small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs,” the company said.
The bill would also create a process for the US President to designate certain social media apps “that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary” and pose a national security risk. These designated apps would face similar ban threats unless they distance themselves from control by a “foreign adversary”.
More than a dozen US politicians introduced this bill and it is expected to have an initial vote today (7 March), Reuters reports.
Multiple governments around the world have shared concerns about TikTok’s connection with China’s government and banned government staff from accessing the app as a result. But the US is taking the most extreme route with the threat of a nationwide ban.
TikTok is also facing issues in Europe, as the European Commission recently opened a formal investigation into TikTok as it suspects the company of potential breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
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