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TikTok prompts users to call Congress as Elon Musk denounces the bill

Дата публикации: 12-03-2024 16:29:16

Phone lines on Capitol Hill were flooded for the second week with calls from kids and parents begging lawmakers to not ban the popular social media app TikTok.

Основное содержимое страницы с новостью.

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

Published: 12:27 EDT, 12 March 2024 | Updated: 12:29 EDT, 12 March 2024

Phone lines on Capitol Hill were flooded for the second time within a week as kids and parents beg lawmakers not to ban the popular social media app TikTok . The calls have been ringing off the hook since last Wednesday when the House China Select Committee advanced a measure that would specifically designate ByteDance and TikTok as foreign adversary-controlled applications. If TikTok doesn't divest from parent company ByteDance, it could be banned across the U.S., the bill, which is up for a vote in the House Wednesday, states.

It has a good shot of becoming law as a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed the bill and Joe Biden has said he would sign it. As the bill has gained more steam, so too has its opposition. Elon Musk joined Donald Trump in opposing the effort to reign in TikTok's influence, calling it government 'censorship,' in a post on X Tuesday. 'This law is not just about TikTok, it is about censorship and government control! If it were just about TikTok, it would only cite 'foreign control' as the issue, but it does not,' Musk stated.

On Tuesday morning, TikTok sent out a push notification to its users - it boasts over 100 million - telling them 'Your voice matters in stopping the shutdown.' The notification prompted users to reach out to their congressional member to urge them to vote against the proposed bill. As a result, congressional offices received hundreds of calls about the bill Tuesday morning, congressional aides told DailyMail.com.

Many callers appeared to be children or concerned parents begging the app not be banned. Users are being told the bill threatens TikTok's very existence, though what it actually does is force its parent company to divest - something callers are largely in support of once staffers explain the nuance of the bill. 'TikTok's campaign to have users call their representatives shows just how much control they have. This campaign is reminiscent of typical Communist Party tactics,' Rep. Greg Murphy, R- N.C., told DailyMail.com in a statement.

'Unfortunately, these callers don't understand what they are really advocating for - they are following orders from Beijing . The CCP is hoping to replicate their modus operandi of telling their citizens what to do.' His office's phones were 'blowing up' according to staff. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., told DailyMail.com he is in favor of the bill and despite the deluge of calls, ' We'll talk to any constituent that wants to call in and talk to us through this.'

'We're explaining our position, and it's a normal part of the process,' he said. Rep. John Duarte, R- Calif., told DailyMail.com that though he does not know yet how he will vote on the bill, 'It won't be because 16-year-olds call me from all over the country.' The House China Select Committee last week accused CCP officials of using TikTok to spy on U.S. users' locations and dictate its algorithm to conduct influence campaigns, making it a national security threat.

If the bill is passed, ByteDance would have five months after the law is signed to divest from TikTok . If it does not, app stores and web hosting platforms would not be allowed to distribute it in the U.S. The bill passed through committee last week with a bipartisan unanimous 50-0 vote. However, the bill does have some notable opposition beyond just children and their parents.

Last week, former President Donald Trump threw cold water on the bipartisan bill, saying if TikTok is banned its rival Facebook would 'double their business' 'I don't want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better,' Trump wrote. 'They are a true Enemy of the People!' Lawmakers have also expressed reticence about how the TikTok bill could impact First Amendment protections.

'I think it's a terrible idea and it's hysteria that's running through both parties now.' Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com Friday. 'In America, we don't just tell people you can't own a company because we don't like you. And 150 million people use their First Amendment freedom to express themselves on TikTok, and you can't just have that taken away from them.' 

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Классификация: Общество. Схожих патентов: 0. Схожих новостей: 9. Тональность: 0. Информативность: 8.1. Источник: www.dailymail.co.uk.