“Trampling” on freedom of speech: TikTok speaks out about a bill that could ban the platform in the US

TikTok believes that the US House of Representatives’ bill that could ban the social network in the country will “trample” on freedom of speech. This was reported by Reuters.

“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,” TikTok said in a statement.

The bill in question is the Peace Through Strength in the 21st Century Act, which the House of Representatives adopted on April 20. Among other things, it includes a ban on TikTok in the country if the Chinese company ByteDance does not sell the social network within a year after the document comes into force.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it could be put to a vote in the coming days.

Many US lawmakers, as well as representatives of the Joe Biden administration, say that TikTok poses a threat to national security, as China could force the company to share the data of its 170 million US users.

As a reminder, in March, the House of Representatives passed a bill called the “Protecting Americans from Programs Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act,” which could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States. However, this document is stuck in the Senate.

Now, the question of TikTok’s future has been included in a broader foreign aid package, which could accelerate the timing of a potential ban on the platform in the United States.