U.S. lawmakers have overwhelmingly passed a bill through the House of Representatives to ban social media platform TikTok in the United States unless China divests assets.
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00:00 (gavel bangs)
00:02 The US House of Representatives voting overwhelmingly
00:05 in favor of a bill that could see TikTok banned
00:07 in the United States, leaving the future
00:10 of the social media platform in the country
00:12 hanging in the balance.
00:14 The fast-track bill gained bipartisan support,
00:18 with 352 Congress members voting in favor
00:21 and only 65 opposing, amid concerns the platform
00:24 is a national security risk.
00:26 - TikTok is a threat to our national security
00:28 because it is owned by ByteDance,
00:31 which does the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party.
00:34 - Lawmakers say they fear the Chinese government
00:36 could use the app to access Americans' personal data
00:39 and influence their views.
00:41 The bill will need to be passed through the Senate
00:43 to be made into law, and should that happen,
00:45 it would force Chinese parent company ByteDance
00:48 to divest its assets in the United States
00:50 within six months or face a ban in the country.
00:53 - For the lodge!
00:55 - But with no evidence of Chinese influence,
00:58 Beijing has labeled this potential ban an act of bullying,
01:01 while TikTok maintains their platform is not controlled by
01:04 or tied to the Chinese Communist Party.
01:06 - Over the last few years, we have invested
01:08 to keep your data safe and our platform
01:11 free from outside manipulation.
01:13 We have committed that we will continue to do so.
01:16 - Lawmakers in D.C. acknowledge the issue
01:18 of protecting U.S. data, but not all of Congress
01:21 agree that a ban will make a difference.
01:24 - All of our social media platforms
01:25 need to be treated equally,
01:28 and need to be treated the same way.
01:29 To single out TikTok in this way,
01:32 we believe is dangerous and certainly against
01:35 freedom of expression.
01:36 - Keep TikTok! Keep TikTok!
01:39 - The bill has prompted a strong response
01:41 outside Capitol Hill.
01:42 TikTok is one of the world's most popular apps
01:45 with more than 170 million users in the U.S. alone.
01:49 Some users who've made a career from the app
01:52 say they rely on the platform to maintain their income.
01:55 - This app is so much more than just an app
01:58 for dumb TikTok dances.
02:00 So when I hear these elected officials
02:03 literally mock and make fun of TikTok and its creators,
02:08 I'm disgusted.
02:09 This is a life-changing app.
02:11 So many people, not only 5 million small businesses
02:14 rely on it, but 170 million people rely on this app
02:18 for more than just their livelihood.
02:21 They rely on this app for their mental health.
02:23 (crowd chattering)
02:25 - Politicians in Washington have received
02:27 large volumes of complaints from teenage users
02:29 who oppose the legislation.
02:31 Some say the result of this bill could impact
02:35 how they vote in the upcoming U.S. election.
02:37 And with 40 million people in the country
02:39 admitting to using the app daily,
02:41 the issue has serious sway with young voters.
02:44 (crowd cheering)
02:46 The bill is expected to face tougher debate in the Senate,
02:51 but President Joe Biden, who is up for re-election,
02:53 has said that if it does pass, he will sign it into law.
02:56 Dolphine Chen and Rosie Greninja for Taiwan Plus.
03:01 (crowd applauding)