TikTok ban in United States: US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, along with other issues during a recent phone call, also discussed the proposed ban of TikTok in the US.
President Biden conveyed concerns that the US has regarding the app’s ownership pattern. The issue of TikTok ban discussed during the US-China bilateral talks comes in the wake of a major legislative move in March, when the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill directing ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to divest its US assets within six months or risk a ban.
The legislation cited national security concerns as the basis for its enactment. Meanwhile, the Senate remains deliberative on the appropriate course of action. In response to the Bill in Congress, TikTok asked its users across the United States to request their respective House representatives to vote against the bill.
A TikTok notification requesting users said, “Speak up now before your government strips 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country, and deny artists an audience. Let Congress know what TikTok means to you and tell them to vote NO.”
President Biden has earlier expressed his willingness to sign such a Bill should reach his desk, underlining the seriousness of the national security concerns surrounding TikTok’s ownership.
