U.S. authorities efforts to ban TikTok over nationwide safety grounds, as soon as thought-about a pie-in-the-sky pipe dream, are trying increasingly more probably by the week, particularly after Congress browbeat TikTok’s CEO for five hours last week. That mentioned, we’ve been right here earlier than. Numerous gamers within the federal authorities have tried to ban TikTok earlier than, all unsuccessfully.
In simply three brief months, a minimum of 4 new payments have reached the Home and Senate demanding, in varied types, a nationwide ban of the Chinese language-owned app. TikTok is already banned on all federal government devices. Increasingly states have passed laws doing the identical factor on an area degree. These new units of invoice would take issues a lot additional, nevertheless, and basically excise an app TikTok says is at the moment utilized by 150 million Individuals—one in two folks within the nation. That backlash to such a ban is troublesome to think about.
Although assist for the bans has elevated, the rationale behind it stays as obtuse as ever. Lawmakers and officers, for years now, have warned the Chinese language authorities may sneakily use TikTok to reap US customers’ information which they are saying may hurt nationwide safety. “Might” and “Would possibly” are the key phrases right here. Thus far, the US authorities has but to offer any concrete proof backing these claims.
That mentioned, TikTok undoubtedly hasn’t carried out itself any favors. The Division of Justice is at the moment investigating TikTok over claims it spied on three former BuzzFeed reporters within the firm’s investigation of an inside leak. Former worker whistleblowers, in the meantime, have mentioned TikTok’s plans to safe US person information in Oracle servers merely don’t go far sufficient, with one saying solely a “full re-engineering” of the app can be vital to satisfy lawmakers’ calls for. One other former worker, writing in a letter despatched to ByteDance by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s workplace, alleged TikTok and its Chinese language father or mother firm ByteDance are “functionally the identical firm.”
So right here we’re, with a nationwide TikTok ban or pressured sale trying all of the extra probably. Beneath are all of those legislative efforts thus far vying to make {that a} actuality.
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