Last month, the House greenlit a bill mandating TikTok to find a buyer or risk a nationwide ban, yet the initiative hit a snag in the Senate.
The proposed legislation allotted TikTok a six-month timeframe to secure a buyer, a period deemed insufficient by certain Senators.
In a recent development, the concept of divestiture or facing a ban was reintroduced, this time bundled with foreign aid, expediting the proposal. This echoes the prior month’s endeavor but extends the deadline for divestiture. Now, TikTok is granted nine months to seek a buyer, with the provision for a three-month extension if negotiations for acquisition are ongoing.
Senator Markey voiced his stance, highlighting parallels with American corporations. Lawmakers from across party lines have raised concerns about TikTok’s potential threat to national security. The fear stems from the possibility of the Chinese government leveraging the platform for espionage or influencing U.S. users’ content, particularly significant in an election year.
However, there has been opposition. Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts refuted claims on Tuesday, contending that there is insufficient evidence to deem TikTok a national security risk solely based on its Chinese parentage. He emphasized that while Chinese laws mandate ByteDance to relinquish American data upon request, TikTok asserts it has never faced such demands.
Markey underscored broader issues in digital security, youth mental health, and data privacy, advocating for comprehensive legislation encompassing the entire tech industry rather than singling out TikTok.
“TikTok indeed poses concerns for the privacy and well-being of our youth,” Markey emphasized, “but these concerns extend beyond TikTok and should not warrant its outright ban. American companies are similarly implicated in these practices.”
