Hours after home passed the bill Shou Chew, CEO of the company that could ban TikTok in the US, called on users to “protect your constitutional rights”. Chew also implied that TikTok would face legal trouble if the bill is passed.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” said Chew video Sent to Xa. “We will continue to do everything we can, including enforcing our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform we’ve built with you.” He also asked TikTok users in the US to share their stories with their friends, family and senators. “If this law is passed, will be It leads to TikTok being banned in the US,” said Chew. “Even the bill’s sponsors admit that’s their goal.”
The bill, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Enemies Controlled Applications Act, passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday with bipartisan support, just days after it was introduced. If passed, the bill would force TikTok’s parent company, Chinese corporation ByteDance, to sell TikTok to a US company within six months or be banned from using US app stores and web hosting services. TikTok has challenged state-level bans in the past. Last year, TikTok sued Montana is prohibited program in the state. A federal judge temporarily blocked in November before that ban took effect.
TikTok last week sent send notifications to the app’s more than 170 million users in the US urging them to call their representatives about a potential ban. “Speak up now before your government deprives 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free speech,” he said. The flurry of notifications reportedly caused House staff to be inundated with calls from high school students asking what the congressman was up to. Lawmakers criticized the company for what they saw as an attempt to “interfere” in the legislative process.
In his address, Chew said banning TikTok would “give more power to a handful of other social media companies.” Former President Donald Trump, who once tried to force ByteDance to sell TikTok in the US, recently expressed similar sentiments, claiming that banning TikTok would strengthen Meta, which directly competes with TikTok’s platform Reels. Chew also added that TikTok’s takedown would also hurt hundreds of thousands of American jobs, creators and small businesses.
