Thursday, March 14, 2024

TikTok Users Stage Uproar As App One Step Closer To Getting Banned After Bill Passed In US House

It’s the news that TikTok users in the US never wish they heard but the reality is that the wildly popular social media app is walking on thin ice.

The platform that comes under the ownership of Chinese firm ByteDance is just one step closer to being banned and people have had enough of this ordeal.

The bill was reportedly approved by the American House of Representatives yesterday for a complete ban in the country. And that means it’s near to getting eradicated from App Stores and user devices across the country.

The decision now rests on the shoulders of the American Senate and if this does get through, fans will no longer have access to the entertaining platform.

The news has left many stunned beyond words but others are expressing fury as some feel it’s being unfairly targeted for no good reason.

The bill forces ByteDance to sell TikTok if it wishes to see its normal functioning in the American nation. And from what we can see right now, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

The new law has given ByteDance just six months to make the decision to surrender control or face the consequences. And therefore 150 million users in the country are just praying a miracle comes through at this point in time.

Former US President Donald Trump has already expressed his dismay on the subject while Elon Musk also warned lawmakers that this act was purely censorship and therefore the consequences could be detrimental.

This ban would not only impact users but also plenty of advertisers who make money through social media apps whose main target audiences include Gen Z members.

The current vote came into being after lawmakers across the country felt the algorithm featuring American users’ sensitive data including location was being shared with government officials based in China.

This meant the country’s national security was at risk and that’s not something they were willing to afford right now. As it is, the nation’s ties with China are not the best and this just adds more fuel to an already burning fire.

The allegations went as far as to state how TikTok might even be handing data to Chinese Communist party members on request.

We’ve already heard how Biden’s administration is keen on signing the bill so passing through the Senate means seeing the ban take shape soon.

China has similarly warned of the impact this could have but it appears that this has fallen on deaf ears.

There are some very mixed opinions throughout Congress regarding the incoming House vote. Chinese officials warned that it would come back to bite officials in the backside soon.

Fans feel that targeting TikTok like this is just unfair as American investigators are yet to find any kind of solid evidence about how the app serves as an imminent threat to those located across America. They feel it’s just a normal form of bullying that shouldn’t be supported.

TikTok has already accused Senators across the country of displaying predetermined voting behavior to ban the app across the country.

They feel stripping a whopping 170 million people of their freedom to use social media is unjustified, not to mention the damage resulting to the livelihoods of many firms that depend on this app to make a living including creators.

So far, there is no kind of saving grace that we can see and that is certainly worrisome as the debate continues.

TikTok creators were also seen bashing lawmakers who they felt were after their money. They thought their decision was unjustified and therefore were seen voicing their opinions through protests carried out around the nation.

Devotees were similarly bold enough to add that if the country was seriously so worried about national security and the safety of US citizens, such conversations should have been held with the X platform and its owner Elon Musk.

Many felt that the app was more of a threat to the nation than TikTok but again, the matter seems to have fallen on deaf ears.


Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Google Paid $10 Million As Vulnerability Rewards For Security Loopholes In Its Products Last Year
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

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