The Reason Behind Joe Biden's Announcement To Ban TikTok Revealed

Insights emerge regarding President Biden's decision to consider banning the popular social media platform, TikTok.

Davy

• Published in Interesting
• March 10, 2024

The recent announcement by President Joe Biden regarding a potential ban on TikTok has stirred curiosity and speculation. As the motivations behind this decision come to light, it sheds new understanding on the administration's stance toward the widely-used app.

President Joe Biden has announced his intention to endorse a bill aimed at banning TikTok in the United States. The popular video-sharing app, with a staggering monthly user base of 150 million people, has long raised concerns among American policymakers.

The call to prohibit the platform from operating within US borders has been echoing for years. In 2022, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr urged tech companies to remove TikTok from their American app stores.

On Friday (March 8), President Biden reiterated this stance, telling reporters that if such a bill were to reach his desk, he would "sign it" without hesitation. However, the question remains: What underlying issues does Congress have with what appears to be a harmless social media platform?

President Joe Biden has expressed his intention to sign a bill that would ban TikTok in the US. The video-sharing app, with a massive monthly user base of 150 million people, has raised longstanding concerns in America, making it the country with the largest TikTok audience.

Calls to prohibit TikTok from operating in the US have persisted for years. In 2022, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr urged tech companies to remove TikTok from their American app stores.

President Biden reiterated this stance on Friday (March 8), stating to reporters that he would "sign it" if such a bill were to pass. However, the question remains: What concerns does Congress have regarding this seemingly harmless platform?

Carr highlighted that the app "harvests swaths of sensitive data," which is then purportedly accessed in Beijing. ByteDance, the developers behind TikTok, have ties to the Chinese state and have faced criticism for their connections with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a major concern for the US Government.

There are concerns that China could exploit this data for espionage purposes. Additionally, lawmakers fear that China may manipulate the app's algorithms to propagate propaganda or misinformation.

TikTok has denied sharing information with the Chinese government, but these concerns persist. Previous attempts to ban TikTok failed, though renewed efforts have emerged in light of the new "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act."

Part of the 12-page document outlines its purpose "to protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications, such as TikTok and any successor application or service, and any other application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Ltd. or an entity under the control of ByteDance Ltd."

To prevent TikTok from being banned in the US, ByteDance will need to alter its fundamental ownership structure. Representative Mike Gallagher stated, "TikTok can continue to exist, people can continue to engage in all sorts of activities on the platform, including sharing dance videos and connecting with friends. However, the underlying ownership structure must change."

Essentially, the US government aims for ByteDance to be divested so it no longer maintains connections with the Chinese government. The specific entity or individual they seek to purchase ByteDance has not been specified.

The recently introduced bill has stirred controversy in China. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew expressed concerns, stating, "This bill is essentially a direct ban on TikTok, regardless of any attempts to mask it. It threatens the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and jeopardizes the platform relied upon by 5 million small businesses for growth and job creation."

Scheduled for a vote on the House floor next week, the bill continues to provoke debate and scrutiny.

Davy