A bill that could ban TikTok within the U.S. will receive a vote today after lawmakers received hundreds of calls from constituents over the last week demanding they vote against the measure.
The House China Select Committee advanced a measure last week that would specifically designate Chinese Communist Party-controlled ByteDance and TikTok as foreign adversary-controlled applications.
If TikTok doesn’t divest from parent company ByteDance, it could be banned across the U.S., the bill states.
It has a good shot of becoming law as a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed the bill and Joe Biden confirmed that he would sign it last week. The House will vote on the legislation at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday.
In response to the growing support behind the bill, TikTok sent out a push notification to its 100 million users yesterday telling them ‘Your voice matters in stopping the shutdown.’
Now, lawmakers will decide whether the national security threat posed by TikTok is worth the headache from constituents who love the app.
TikTok sent this notification to users on Tuesday morning, prompting them to get in touch with their lawmakers to let them know whether they support the TikTok bill
Lawmakers accused TikTok of providing its U.S. user data to its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, which they say has connections to the Chinese Communist Party
Still, as the bill has gained more steam, so too has its opposition. Elon Musk joined Donald Trump in opposing the effort to reign in TikTok’s influence, calling it government ‘censorship,’ in a post on X Tuesday.
‘This law is not just about TikTok, it is about censorship and government control! If it were just about TikTok, it would only cite ‘foreign control’ as the issue, but it does not,’ Musk stated.
The notification prompted users to reach out to their congressional member to urge them to vote against the proposed bill.
As a result, congressional offices received hundreds of calls about the bill Tuesday morning, congressional aides told DailyMail.com.
Many callers appeared to be children or concerned parents begging the app not be banned.
Users are being told the bill threatens TikTok’s very existence, though what it actually does is force its parent company to divest – something callers are largely in support of once staffers explain the nuance of the bill.
‘TikTok’s campaign to have users call their representatives shows just how much control they have. This campaign is reminiscent of typical Communist Party tactics,’ Rep. Greg Murphy, R- N.C., told DailyMail.com in a statement.
‘Unfortunately, these callers don’t understand what they are really advocating for – they are following orders from Beijing. The CCP is hoping to replicate their modus operandi of telling their citizens what to do.’
His office’s phones were ‘blowing up’ according to staff.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., told DailyMail.com he is in favor of the bill and despite the deluge of calls, ‘We’ll talk to any constituent that wants to call in and talk to us through this.’
‘We’re explaining our position, and it’s a normal part of the process,’ he said.
Rep. John Duarte, R- Calif., told DailyMail.com that though he does not know yet how he will vote on the bill, ‘It won’t be because 16-year-olds call me from all over the country.’
The House China Select Committee last week accused CCP officials of using TikTok to spy on U.S. users’ locations and dictate its algorithm to conduct influence campaigns, making it a national security threat.
If the bill is passed, ByteDance would have five months after the law is signed to divest from TikTok. If it does not, app stores and web hosting platforms would not be allowed to distribute it in the U.S.
The bill passed through committee last week with a bipartisan unanimous 50-0 vote.
In a statement, TikTok said of the bill’s passing committee: ‘This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.’
However, the bill does have some notable opposition beyond just children and their parents.
TikTok sent this notification to users last week after the bill was introduced
Last week, former President Donald Trump threw cold water on the bipartisan bill, saying if TikTok is banned its rival Facebook would ‘double their business’
‘I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better,’ Trump wrote. ‘They are a true Enemy of the People!’
Lawmakers have also expressed reticence about how the TikTok bill could impact First Amendment protections.
‘I think it’s a terrible idea and it’s hysteria that’s running through both parties now.’ Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com Friday.
‘In America, we don’t just tell people you can’t own a company because we don’t like you. And 150 million people use their First Amendment freedom to express themselves on TikTok, and you can’t just have that taken away from them.’
Fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie agreed.
‘The so-called TikTok ban is a trojan horse. The President will be given the power to ban web sites, not just apps,’ he posted on X.