Supported by the Chinese corporation ByteDance, TikTok is a social networking app that the White House put its support behind in Congress, effectively outlawing it in the country.
Due to national security worries regarding the way the app utilizes and stores data, the bipartisan measure would force ByteDance to sell the app or risk being banned.
Press secretary at the White House Karine Jean-Pierre informed reporters, “This bill is essential, we appreciate this step.”
TikTok’s potential threats to national security have long alarmed the White House. The app was prohibited on government phones under a law signed by Biden in 2022.
The President Biden reelection campaign, however, has decided to use the platform despite the risk. As part of TikTok, “BidenHQ” joined almost a month ago.
Despite giving the president the power to outlaw TikTok, the White House does not view the bill as doing so.
Tuesday saw the introduction of the bipartisan Defending Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
The measure would allow the president to veto TikTok since it forbids any ByteDance-controlled apps from showing up on US websites or app stores until the app breaks its connection with ByteDance.
However, Jean-Pierre clarified that the White House views the law as a means of making sure TikTok “ownership is not in the control of people who might cause us harm” rather than as a prohibition on the platform. Obviously, this is concerning our national security,” Jean-Pierre stated.
“We would like to see this bill approved.”
The White House stated that in order to ensure that the bill is well-founded in law, it is collaborating with legislators on its technical elements.
The app TikTok, which earlier sued the Trump government in 2020 after the former president announced an executive order that attempted to prohibit the app, is expected to file a lawsuit in response to any restriction. A federal judge blocked the planned prohibition.