A proposed bill to ban TikTok is under consideration in the US House of Representatives amid criticisms that the proposal threatens freedom of expression.
On Wednesday, an American congressional committee voted in favor of a bill that would make it easier for the House of Representatives to ban the TikTok app, owned by a Chinese company, amidst criticisms that the proposal threatens freedom of expression. The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Republicans, passed the "Defending America's Technological Sovereignty Act" (DATA) bill, but it is expected to face opposition from free speech advocates and Democrats when it is voted on in the House and Senate.
Committee chairman Michael McCaul said, "The bill requires the administration to ban TikTok or any software application that threatens the national security of the United States." He added, "TikTok poses a security threat.
It allows (China) to manipulate and monitor its users while collecting data on Americans for their nefarious activities." TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is under scrutiny in several countries due to privacy and surveillance concerns.
The proposed legislation modifies a law passed in the 1980s that prohibits the government from restricting the free flow of visual entertainment between foreign countries by adding an exception relating to "sensitive personal data".
The proposed legislation requires the US administration to impose sanctions - including a ban - on companies that are designed to intentionally provide TikTok user data to "any foreign person" with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In response, a TikTok official said the company was "disappointed to see this hasty legislative text move forward" in Congress.
The company spokesperson, Brooke Oberwetter, said in a statement, "The US ban on TikTok is a ban on exporting American culture and values to over a billion people who use the service around the world."
In a letter to the committee on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union said that the legislation could violate Americans' rights as outlined in the amendment.
Democratic committee member Gregory Meeks expressed great regret over "Republicans' instinct to ban things they fear, from books to speech."
He added, "Before taking an unprecedented step to ban an app used by over 100 million Americans, jeopardizing our national security and violating their freedom of expression and speech, Congress should first consult appropriately with the administration and other stakeholders."