U.S. Legislators Propose Bills to Block TikTok, Cite Risk of Chinese’ Spying’ on U.S. Citizens.
In a campaign driven by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, proposed laws have been formally presented to Congress to prohibit TikTok from operating within the United States.
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Prominently proclaiming the proposed legislation, Rubio’s press office officially declared the “risk of TikTok being used to spy on Americans” by the Chinese communist regime. Since its launch, the short-form video entertainment app TikTok has been used as a political tool because it is owned and regulated by internet powerhouse ByteDance. With an impressive user base of over 1 billion people, it is no wonder this platform is so influential among politicians worldwide.
“This isn’t about creative videos — this is about an app that is collecting data on tens of millions of American children and adults every day,” Rubio said in a prepared statement about the Senate bill. “We know it’s used to manipulate feeds and influence elections. We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China. There is no more time wasted on meaningless negotiations with a CCP-puppet company. It is time to ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good.”
Senator Rubio recently presented a bill to the Senate for consideration. — titled the “Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act,” or ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act — would prohibit all transactions from any social media company located in (or under the influence of) China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act requires the President of the United States to use the authority granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property” in the U.S. of any social media company that is based in China or one of the other countries deemed hostile to American interests.
In her official declaration, TikTok representative Hilary McQuaide communicated, “It’s troubling that rather than encouraging the [Biden] administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States.”
TikTok “is loved by millions of Americans who use the platform to learn, grow their businesses, and connect with creative content that brings them joy,” McQuaide continued. “We will continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies — plans that we are well underway in implementing — to secure our platform in the United States further.”
From January to November 2022, TikTok saw an increase of 22% in their average monthly active users in the U.S., bringing it up to a staggering 111 million, according to mobile data and analytics provider data.ai (formerly App Annie).
Rep. Gallagher labeled TikTok as “digital fentanyl, an addiction to American citizens” and firmly claimed that the app is amassing large amounts of data from U.S. people while censoring news content. “Allowing the app to continue to operate in the U.S. would be like allowing the U.S.S.R. to buy up the New York Times, Washington Post, and major broadcast networks during the Cold War,” he said.
This isn’t the first instance of American politicians seeking to outlaw TikTok.
In his waning months as President, Donald Trump declared an executive order that could have resulted in TikTok being banned from the U.S. unless ByteDance sold a controlling interest to American investors. Fortunately for TikTok users everywhere, federal courts blocked this action, and President Biden officially revoked these orders soon after taking office in 2021. While doing so, he also started a probe into apps connected to “foreign adversaries” that may present threats regarding data privacy or national security issues.
This past summer, nine Republican Senators reignited the discussion of TikTok’s connections with China by sending C.E.O. Shou Zi Chew a letter expressing their worries “demanding answers on TikTok’s backdoor data access for Beijing.” This developed from a June 17th BuzzFeed News announcement that TikTok staff in China have “repeatedly” viewed data from U.S.-based clients. Chew responded to the G.O.P. Senators by conveying that the access TikTok has granted China-based staffers to U.S. user data is meant to be terminated for them to reach their objective of making “substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the U.S. Government that will fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests.”
On Tuesday, a consortium of 15 Republican state attorneys general sent letters to the C.E.O.s of Apple and Google asking them to reclassify TikTok with an age rating reserved for “mature” users (17 years old and above). As it stands now, App Store rates TikTok as suitable for individuals aged 12 or over, while Google Play merely assigns it a “teen” rating. The group highlighted occurrences of inappropriate content in their plea against the current ratings. This summer, TikTok declared that it would introduce a system to inform users of content with “overtly matured themes.”
Last week, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed two lawsuits against the popular social media platform TikTok. He claims that they misled users by stating their data is not shared with China while simultaneously providing age-inappropriate content to underage viewers. His actions have been supported in letters from both Apple and Google executives.
What should content creators do if TikTok shuts down?
If the government were to shut down TikTok, it would be a crippling blow to content creators who rely on this platform for their income and creative expression. With its unprecedented user base, TikTok has swiftly become an influential source for people of all ages and backgrounds. Unfortunately, the closure of this platform would have significant ramifications for the future of content creation.
Content creators should begin by diversifying their portfolios across multiple channels, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. This will ensure that they maintain a presence should TikTok be forced to close its doors. It is also beneficial to research trends in other social media platforms so that the same kind of content can be produced in different formats. Additionally, influencers should consider creating additional revenue streams outside of social media platforms. This could include selling merchandise or offering online services such as virtual consultations or webinars.
Content creators must also protect their intellectual property rights in case of a shutdown. All original works should be backed up on external drives to remain safe from any potential data loss caused by the closure of TikTok. Furthermore, influencers should research copyright laws concerning legal ownership and use of content created within social media platforms. Doing so will reduce potential disputes over intellectual property rights after the service is no longer available.
Finally, it’s important for influencers to engage with potential customers or clients proactively, even if TikTok remains operational. Conversation with interested parties via private messages or email newsletters is a great way to establish relationships beyond the app itself and prepare for any changes. Doing so will also boost visibility and brand awareness among potential customers or clients before TikTok’s potential shutdown takes place.
While there are no guarantees that TikTok will shut down anytime soon, content creators must prepare ahead in case such a scenario occurs. By following these simple steps now, influencers can ensure they remain active participants in their respective industries regardless of what happens with this popular platform in the future.
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