The situation of TikTok in the United States is getting worse. This Saturday, April 20, the House of Representatives voted, 360 votes to 58, in favor of banning the Chinese application. The definitive future of the platform should be decided this week.
TikTok has been in the sights of American authorities since 2020, due to an alleged link between ByteDance, its parent company, and the Chinese government. On several occasions, American policymakers have cited a law in the Middle Kingdom allowing the Communist Party to obtain any data from Chinese companies. By following this logic, Beijing would be able to access all information on American users of the application, in order to carry out espionage or propaganda campaigns. TikTok, for its part, has always refuted such allegations.
The company even developed a $1.5 billion plan to host the data of Americans in the United States, with the aim of reassuring the authorities… In vain.
Forced sale or ban
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted on a package of foreign policy measures. They included the TikTok law, $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, as well as funds for Israel and Taiwan. A large majority approved the text.
If passed, ByteDance would have nine months to sell the app to a US entity. If refused, TikTok would then be banned in the United States. The Senate is expected to decide the future of the platform this week. If he approves the legislation, Joe Biden has already indicated that he will sign the text.
The situation of TikTok divides in the United States
A TikTok spokesperson denounced the bill, saying it “ would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shut down a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy each year “.
ByteDance « is not an agent of China or any other country », Promises the social network. The TikTok situation also divides the American political class. Although Democrats and Republicans agree on the potential danger of the application for national security, some Republicans, including Donald Trump, now say they are against a ban. Elon Musk also spoke, believing that such a decision would be “ contrary to freedom of speech and expression “.
For its part, China has always made it known that it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok. There is no doubt that this affair will continue to fuel growing tensions between the two leading world powers.
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TikTok is a social media app primarily focused on creating and sharing short videos. TikTok has quickly become popular with a wide audience, especially among young people. The application allows users to create videos of up to 3 minutes, often characterized by music, lip-syncing, dancing, comedy skits, and other forms of expressive performances.
TikTok is a social media app primarily focused on creating and sharing short videos. TikTok has quickly become popular with a wide audience, especially among young people. The application allows users to create videos of up to 3 minutes, often characterized by music, lip-syncing, dancing, comedy skits, and other forms of expressive performances.
Source : BBC
After my journalism studies, I decided to focus on areas that fascinate me: new technologies, video games, or even astronomy. I love sharing around these subjects but my curiosity leads me to discuss many other subjects through my articles.
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