Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Select Intelligence Committee, expressed concern that TikTok was ‘operating at the direction of a foreign adversary.’
The U.S. Senate voted 79-18 to pass the TikTok divest-or-ban bill as part of a foreign aid package on Tuesday.
Under the bill, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has one year to sell the app. If the app is not sold, it will be banned from mobile app stores and web-hosting services.
The House version of the foreign aid package was approved on Saturday. With the Senate’s approval, the bill now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature. The president has indicated he will sign it into law.
The debate surrounding the TikTok bill focused on national security and free speech.
Sen. Mark Warner highlighted the concern that TikTok could be manipulated to serve the goals of an authoritarian regime due to its significant role in commerce, political discourse, and social debate.
He also mentioned the lobbying efforts of the Chinese embassy against the TikTok bill.
Geoffrey Cain, a journalist and technologist, pointed out that TikTok’s Chinese version restricts harmful content to young users, while the same content is easily accessible to American teenagers on TikTok.
Sen. Maria Cantwell referred to the Department of Justice’s warning about hostile foreign powers using bulk data and artificial intelligence to target Americans.
The TikTok divest-or-ban requirement is seen as a way to prevent a Chinese company from accessing American consumer data through an export-controlled algorithm.
According to China’s Counterespionage Law, ByteDance may be required to hand over its American user data if requested by authorities.
TikTok has maintained that it operates independently from its Chinese parent company and does not share U.S. data with the Chinese government.
To address data security concerns, TikTok introduced “Project Texas” in July 2022, proposing that Texas-based Oracle store TikTok data and review its code and software.
However, Sen. Mark Warner argued that this project does not fully address national security concerns as it would still leave TikTok’s algorithm and development activities under Chinese control.
He reassured young people that the bill was not a ban, emphasizing that TikTok could continue to exist after a sale.
Sen. Ed Markey expressed skepticism about the feasibility of a sale, suggesting that the bill effectively amounts to a ban.
While acknowledging national security threats, Mr. Markey warned about the potential impact of banning TikTok on free speech and censorship.
TikTok stated that it would pursue legal action on First Amendment grounds once the TikTok divest-or-ban bill becomes law.
Sen. Rick Scott and Sen. John Fetterman expressed doubts about TikTok’s free speech claims, citing the company’s allegiance to the Chinese government.
The Epoch Times reached out to TikTok for comment.
Stacy Robinson contributed to this report.
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