The Biden administration and lawmakers have called for the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok to be sold by its parent company ByteDance or risk a nationwide ban in the US. Chinese officials have expressed their opposition to the potential forced sale of the app, citing potential damage to investors from multiple countries including China as well as a decrease in confidence to invest in the US.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew recently told The Wall Street Journal That ByteDance is considering the possibility of selling his stake in the company, but believes that it is not the right time. The Committee on Foreign Investment, an interagency task force that assesses potential national security threats in business deals, recently gave ByteDance executives an ultimatum to divest or face a ban.
The proposed ban has sparked a debate on implications for free expression and national security. The Mandarin-language video producer Kong Wong has gained an online following by criticizing the Chinese government and supporting calls to ban TikTok in the US. At a Congressional hearing, lawmakers questioned TikTok's alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, but no evidence was given.
Free-speech groups have expressed concern that the First Amendment was not discussed, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has expressed concern that a full-on ban could infringe upon America’s constitutional protections. If TikTok were to be banned in the US, it would deprive dissidents all around the world of access to news and information.
President Biden has hosted TikTok influencers as part of a Democratic initiative to introduce viewers to Washington before the midterm elections. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) hosted a news conference on Capitol grounds alongside TikTok creators to discuss how a ban would affect free expression. Wong expressed doubts over the app's potential for political censorship.