TikTok incites users to ``Send an e-mail to Congress and oppose the regulatory law,'' and the divided Congress unanimously votes to promote the bill quickly
A bill was submitted to the US Congress on March 5, 2024 that would direct TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its TikTok business. And the Capitol was flooded with protest calls after a message appeared on the TikTok app asking people to call in opposition to the restrictive bill. In response to this unusual situation, lawmakers unanimously adopted a resolution on March 7th to expedite the enactment of the bill by a vote of 50-0.
TikTok Prompts Users to Call Congress to Fight Possible Ban - The New York Times
TikTok ban: Furious Congress plows forward with China bill after user revolt
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/tiktok-ban-congress-phone-calls
US House to vote next week on TikTok crackdown bill | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/new-push-congress-ban-tiktok-or-force-chinese-divestiture-gains-steam-2024-03-07/
In the United States, where the conflict with China is deepening, laws prohibiting TikTok have been enacted one after another to restrict the use of TikTok by government agencies due to concerns about the risk of confidential information of American citizens being passed on to the Chinese government through TikTok. Masu.
Furthermore, on March 5, 2024, a bill with more in-depth content was submitted to the U.S. Congress with the aim of directly regulating TikTok.
A bill to punish app stores that host TikTok appears - GIGAZINE
The ``Bill to Protect Americans from National Security Threats from Applications Controlled by Foreign Adversaries' ' submitted to Congress includes two main legal measures.
The first would require ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to sell TikTok and other TikTok-owned applications within 165 days of the bill's passage, or the app would be banned in the United States. Use is prohibited. And the second is that the government can ban access to an app owned by a foreign adversary, in this case a Chinese company, if it poses a threat to national security.
In response, TikTok displayed a message on its app asking people to oppose the bill. The app says, 'Speak up now, before the government strips 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression,' and 'Speak up to Congress about what TikTok means to you.' and tell them to vote no,'' with a button below to place a call.
When I opened TikTok today, I got this pop-up that gives you no option to exit or swipe away, the only action is to “call now” pic.twitter.com/N1xxfwi0MB
— Casey Lewis (@caseymlewis) March 7, 2024
Some users reported that they were unable to use the TikTok app without making a phone call. In reality, this message could have been removed by swiping to the right, but this caused confusion as TikTok users would have to swipe up to watch the next video.
TikTok users who saw this message were flooded with calls to protest, and the phone lines for members of Congress were disrupted. Two congressional officials told The New York Times that one congressional office received about 100 calls and another received more than 1,000 calls.
A source told the American news site Axios, ``The phone calls have been completely cut off due to inquiries from people who are concerned about losing access to TikTok, from students and young people to working adults and business owners.'' I have a flat tire.''
The parliamentary secretariat, busy responding to the protests, created a 'script' for callers. The script, seen by The New York Times, states that TikTok is distorting the bill's content, that TikTok is keeping its relationship with China a secret, and that if TikTok ends its relationship with China, it will continue to use the app. Advice was given to staff to inform them that they can use it.
It's common for tech companies to lobby users to oppose certain laws, but it's rarely done this blatantly.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously voted to advance the bill on the afternoon of March 7th. 'The highly unusual 50-0 vote underscores how angry some commissioners are with TikTok's pressure campaign,' Axios reports.
Since then-President Donald Trump ordered TikTok to sell its business in 2020, numerous laws to regulate TikTok have been discussed, each time meeting fierce resistance. No fundamental legal action has been taken.
President Trump demands that TikTok ``sell to an American company by September 15, 2020,'' Microsoft offers to acquire - GIGAZINE
TikTok's extreme move to encourage users to put pressure on Congress could ironically provide momentum for the passage of regulatory legislation.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the media: 'The administration is hopeful that this bill will reach the president's desk and that he will sign it into law.'
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on March 8, Congressman Steve Scalise said, ``I will bring this important national security bill to the House for a vote next week.'' ” he said.
???? The @HouseCommerce Committee just voted 50-0 to force TikTok to sever their ties with the Chinese Communist Party. I will bring this critical national security bill to the House floor for a vote next week.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) March 7, 2024
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