TikTok is intensifying its legal defense against a new law that can result in the app’s outright prohibition in the US. Millions of US users have been informed about the action by the app, which would require ByteDance to sell TikTok in order for the app to continue to be available in US app stores.
The push warning warns that TikTok could be shut off in the US. “Call your agent right away.” Users are then prompted to “speak up now—before your government strips 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression” via an in-app message. If users input their zip code, they will also be given a shortcut to call the office of their representative.
The push alerts are reportedly already having a dramatic effect. Politico reporter Olivia Beavers said that House staffers report their offices are being inundated with calls. One staffer said on X that “we’re getting a lot of calls from high schoolers asking what a Congressman is.”
We're getting a lot of calls from high schoolers asking what a Congressman is.
Yes really. pic.twitter.com/LzzvGU3UCi
— Taylor Hulsey (@TaylorMHulsey) March 7, 2024
Unfortunately for TikTok, their plan to stir up resistance to the bill may not be having the intended effect. The flood of calls may in fact be “backfiring,” according to Beavers, who says the response may be increasing support for the bill among members of Congress. In a post on X, Representative Mike Gallagher, who chairs the select committee that introduced the bill, said the push notifications were “interfering with the legislative process.”
The alerts come amid growing support for the measure, which was introduced earlier this week by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. On Thursday, the bill cleared its first legislative hurdle with a unanimous vote, 50 – 0, by members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to advance the measure. President Joe Biden, whose administration has also sought to force a divestiture of TikTok, is reportedly supportive of the bill. As Punchbowl News notes, previous bills to ban TikTok have not had the backing of the White House.
If passed, the bill would give TikTok about six months to separate itself from ByteDance or else an app store ban would take effect. “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” TikTok said in a statement published after the vote in the House. “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
Digital rights groups also oppose the measure. The ACLU has called it “unconstitutional,” while other groups say that comprehensive privacy legislation would be a more effective way to protect Americans’ data.
