Lawmakers introduced a bill that would punish app stores for hosting TikTok
A New Measure to End the ByteDance App Store: Enforcing the U.S. Social Media Bound by Closing a Social Media App
The White House has thrown its support behind a bill in Congress that would effectively ban TikTok, the social media app that is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, in the United States.
It creates a process for the president to designate other social media companies from foreign countries as subject to the bill, meaning that apps that are distributed in the US would need to sever ties to continue operating there.
The new legislation was put together with the aim of avoiding constitutional concerns. It is tailored to avoid being seen as a penalty on an individual company. The bill makes it possible for ByteDance to stay in business if it is banned during a 165-day period, and also creates a process in which it could be applied to other apps.
The White House has concerns about the national security risks of TikTok. Biden signed a bill prohibiting the app on government phones.
The White House doesn’t believe the bill is a ban on Tik Tok but rather an effort to prevent people from doing us harm, according to Jean-Pierre. “This is about our national security,” Jean-Pierre said.
