Senate Commerce Chair Gives Support to Legislation That May Lead to TikTok’s Removal from the United States
In a move that could potentially lead to the removal of popular video-sharing platform TikTok from the United States, Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell has expressed her support for a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership. The bill, known as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with a significant majority. It prohibits entities deemed sufficiently owned or controlled by individuals from adversary countries, such as China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, from operating within the United States.
The legislation specifically identifies TikTok as a “foreign adversary controlled application” due to its ownership by the Chinese-headquartered company ByteDance Inc. If the bill becomes law, TikTok’s Chinese owners would have a limited amount of time to divest their ownership in the platform. After this period, fines would be imposed on any entities that distribute, maintain, or update the application for U.S. users. The fines would amount to $5,000 per day, per user who accesses the application through a hosting website or app store.
The imposition of fines against companies that continue to support designated “foreign adversary controlled applications” would likely discourage their support and limit the avenues for these applications to operate in the United States. However, opponents of the legislation have expressed concerns about the divestment timeline presented in the original bill. Some argue that it is unrealistic to expect a buyer to be found and a deal to be formed within the given timeframe. To address these concerns, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders have proposed extending the divestiture window from six months to a year.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not provided a timeline for when the Senate might take up the bill. However, with Chairwoman Cantwell’s endorsement, the legislation could gain momentum for its passage. If it does pass in the Senate, President Joe Biden has indicated that he would sign it into law.
While Chairwoman Cantwell’s concerns about the divestment timeline have been eased by the House updates, there are still criticisms of the legislation. The bill has faced opposition from both progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans. Some argue that TikTok’s data collection practices do not pose significant national security risks, as other social media companies that would not be affected by the bill also collect user data. They argue that instead of banning individual companies, the focus should be on implementing stronger data and privacy protection laws.
Critics also point out that Congress has not received a classified briefing to substantiate the national security concerns raised around TikTok’s operations. They raise concerns about the potential for future regulations that could force the sale of other social media companies, citing it as a precedent set by targeting TikTok. One scenario posed is the regulatory pressure that could be imposed on a platform like X, similar to what TikTok is facing now.
This debate around TikTok’s ownership and potential removal from the United States highlights the broader issues surrounding data privacy and national security in the digital age. As technology continues to advance and play an increasingly important role in our lives, finding a balance between protecting user data and addressing national security concerns will be crucial. The outcome of this legislation could set a precedent for how future challenges in this realm are addressed and regulated.
