US: No rush for Senate to consider TikTok bill – 2024-03-17 05:54:59

Prominent US senators made it known that the bill approved on Wednesday 13/03 by the House of Representatives and which threatens TikTok with a ban will not be considered in the context of an urgent procedure, which leaves doubts about its chances of success.

In the event of its adoption and sanction by US President Joe Biden, the text will oblige the parent company of the short video platform, the Chinese ByteDance, to sell TikTok or face the possibility of suspending its operation in the US.

The lawmakers who took the initiative to propose the law are concerned about the potential access of Chinese authorities to the data of American TikTok users, as well as the ability to make propaganda through the platform.

What the senators say

Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrats, has so far refused to say when the bill will be debated.

But besides Chuck Schumer, other elected officials in the Senate are stalling, calling for a thorough examination of the text.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana explained to Fox News that he plans to call on Chuck Schumer to “ask the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies to testify behind closed doors as to whether the allegations are valid.”

“I’m concerned about the idea that an app is giving the Chinese government access to Americans’ personal data,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, told X.

“I’m in contact with the Department of Justice to reassure me that this text can prevail against potential legal challenges,” Virginia Republican Sen. Mark Warner told Fox News.

“What’s going to happen is the Senate is going to wind it up, to the point of killing it,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley predicted in a statement to the news website Axios. “Nothing moves in the Senate if the tech industry opposes it,” he stressed.

The issue is sensitive, eight months before presidential and parliamentary elections in the country, as a ban on TikTok could alienate a portion of young voters.

Source: RES-MPE