TikTok Ban Introduced in Congress

Bill blocks social platforms under the influence of foreign adversaries

Dec 13, 2022

On Tuesday, a bipartisan team of lawmakers in the Senate and House introduced legislation that would ban TikTok from the United States. The bill takes aim at the popular social media platform by blocking all transactions in the U.S. by social media companies with at least one million monthly users that are based in, or under the “substantial influence” of foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. Chamber of Progress supports the forced divestiture of the China-based ByteDance from TikTok’s U.S. platform.

“There’s a problem with TikTok that lawmakers can’t ignore: the Chinese government has the final say over what content U.S. users see and how their data is used,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “That poses a real national security threat, especially knowing the Chinese government’s history of sharing propaganda and invading the privacy of their own citizens. TikTok is a great app, but the Biden Administration should insist it be sold to a U.S. owner.”

For more on Chamber of Progress’s position on TikTok operating in the United States, check out Adam Kovacevich’s op-ed, TikTok is a Runaway Success– but its Chinese Ownership is Problematic for the U.S.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly. 

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.