CINCINNATI — The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese-parent company ByteDance doesn’t divest.
Congressman Greg Landsman supported the bill, which had bipartisan support, along with Rep. Erin Houchin and Rep. Brad Wenstrup.
“It’s the fact that this foreign adversary has access to all of our data,” Landsman said. “The hope is that through this process, we get the sale, and you know, TikTok doesn’t go away. Just the threat.”
The bill gives TikTok six months to be divested or potentially be banned in U.S. app stores and web-hosting services. Critics say the move would limit free speech.
Cincinnati-based creator Heather Savage runs the account @SavageMomLife. She quit her job three years ago to focus on content creation full-time, and her income comes from the company’s creator program, subscriptions and brand deals.
@savagemomlife
As Wednesday’s bill passed through, she said she’s afraid she’s watching not just her livelihood, but her “Savage Family” community disappear.
“Four and a half years ago, when people just we're doing dances and being goofy,” Savage said. “It's transformed into something even greater and bigger.”
Her followers have raised tens of thousands for organizations like Make a Wish and the American Heart Association.
“I feel like we are doing the right thing,” she said. "I don't want to be punished for doing the right thing.”
Heather said that she feels the app has done what they’ve been asking, something Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson said before the vote:
“The company’s headquarters is not in China. It’s in Singapore. The American user data isn’t housed in China, it’s housed in Texas,” he said. “I think it’s important we solve the correct problem.”
Davidson, along with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie voted against the bill. The two say that the broader issue is data privacy on any social media company.
“Both things are true,” Landsman said. “I’ll be a yes vote on the broader bill on privacy and content moderation for all of these social media platforms.”
“TikTok is different, of course, because it’s owned by a company residing with a foreign adversary,” he said.
In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said: “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. 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.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.
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