TikTok Says New US Ban Effort Would ‘Trample Free Speech’

A new effort by the US House of Representatives to targeting TikTok would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans” and harm US businesses and the economy, TikTok has warned.

The company’s statement came after the House passed a bill on Saturday that combined measures targeting TikTok with foreign aid for Israel and Ukraine.

The House passed a bill earlier this month that gave TikTok parent company ByteDance six months to divest TikTok’s US operations or face a ban in the country, but that measure has not yet been approved by the Senate.

The new measure gives ByteDance nine months to divest and also includes a broader package of aid to Israel and Ukraine.

Bipartisan support

The House voted 360-58 to approve the legislation, which includes new penalties against Russia and Iran, the TikTok measures and $95 billion (£77bn) in foreign aid.

The package has growing bipartisan support in the Senate, making it more likely to pass into law.

The Senate plans to take up the bill on Tuesday, majority leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, while US president Joe Biden said last week he endorsed the foreign aid package and would sign it.

“The House must pass the package this week, and the Senate should quickly follow,” he said.

‘Trample free speech’

“It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24bn to the US economy, annually,” TikTok said in a statement over the weekend.

Former US president Donald Trump in 2020 tried to ban TikTok or to force its sale to a US entity, but the efforts were blocked by the courts.

US authorities have argued TikTok’s Chinese ownership places the personal data of US users at risk, something the company has repeatedly denied.

ByteDance has not yet commented on the new measure, having delegated lobbying over the effort to TikTok under Singaporean chief executive Chew Shou Zi.

TikTok “will move to the courts for a legal challenge” if and when the bill becomes law, Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of policy in the Americas, said in a widely reported internal memo issued on Saturday.