“Make yourself heard,” says TikTok CEO to American users, threatened with ban in the United States

2024-03-14 06:11:33

By Le Figaro with AFP

Published 1 hour ago, Updated 10 minutes ago

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According to a bill passed on Wednesday, the social network faces a ban if it does not cut ties with its parent company, ByteDance, and more broadly with China.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew called on its users in the United States to «entendre» after a vote on Wednesday by the House of Representatives raising the threat of a ban on the network in the country.

“Make yourself heard”, he launched on TikTok and X to some 170 million users in the United States, less than eight months before the presidential election in November, which will pit Joe Biden against Donald Trump. According to the bill, which must still pass through the Senate, the network faces a ban if it does not cut ties with its parent company, ByteDance, and more broadly with China.

TikTok has been in the crosshairs of American authorities for several months, with many officials believing that the short and entertaining video platform allows Beijing to spy on and manipulate citizens. The company has repeatedly denied having transmitted information to the Chinese authorities and assured that it would refuse any possible request in this regard.

Read alsoThe social network TikTok once again threatened with ban in the United States

Fate of bill uncertain

The text of the law, adopted by a large majority of 352 votes out of 432 elected officials, “TikTok has been banned”argued the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, who voted in favor of the proposal. “It aims to resolve legitimate national security and data protection concerns related to the Chinese Communist Party’s relationship with a social network”he explained in a press release.

The bill’s fate is uncertain in the Senate, where high-profile figures oppose such a sweeping measure against a hugely popular app. The leader of the Democrats in the upper house, Chuck Schumer, simply took note of the vote on Wednesday, without commenting on the text. US President Joe Biden said that if passed in the Senate, he would sign the text into law. TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew is in Washington, where he is trying to drum up support to block the bill.