By Oyintari Ben
A powerful House Committee is scheduled to vote on a bill on Tuesday that would make it simpler to ban TikTok from the United States and crack down on other China-related economic activity, despite vociferous opposition from civil liberties advocates who claim the proposal is unconstitutionally broad and threatens a wide range of online speech.
Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the measure launched on Friday and fast-tracked by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul would allow the Biden administration to enforce a countrywide TikTok ban (IEEPA).
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, are directly mentioned in the bill’s wording. Suppose the administration concludes that the firms may have wilfully provided user data to “any foreign person” working for or influenced by the Chinese government. In that case, Joe Biden must apply penalties against them, up to and perhaps including a ban.
Sanctions would be necessary if the Biden administration discovered that the companies assisted the Chinese government with activities such as hacking, censorship, surveillance, or intelligence gathering; made it easier for foreign actors to interfere in elections in the US or another democratic ally; or helped the Chinese government shape US policy, among other things.
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter issued a statement urging the Biden administration to finalise a long-gestating national security accord to allay those worries.
Following a directive to federal employees to delete the video app TikTok from government-issued phones, China has accused the US of overreacting.
The White House gave government organisations 30 days, starting on Monday, to ensure employees’ devices did not contain the Chinese-owned app.
The order comes after recent actions taken similarly by the EU and Canada.
China’s foreign ministry issued an accusation against the US of misusing state authority to repress foreign businesses.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, spokeswoman Mao Ning stated, “We reject their improper conduct.” The US government should stop restricting businesses, uphold the values of a free market and competitiveness, and create an environment welcoming to international businesses.
How insecure can the world’s leading superpower, the US, be to worry about the most popular app among teenagers, she said.
