The US "ban on TikTok" has triggered a strong backlash, US media: is targeting China's "electronic isolation"

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 24 to 16 local time on the 1st, authorizing US President Joe Biden to completely ban the use of short video social media TikTok for all devices in the United States. Reuters hyped it up that this may be the most far-reaching restriction imposed by the United States in the field of social media applications. The US House of Representatives' decision to push forward with the suppression of TikTok not only aroused strong opposition from Democrats, but also caused widespread controversy in American society and the international level. Some analysts said that the US decision will face two major risks: one is suspected of violating the constitution, and the other is that it will affect the business of many small and medium-sized enterprises in the United States. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that the United States should earnestly respect the principles of market economy and fair competition and stop unreasonable suppression of relevant enterprises.

"There is actually no evidence at all"

According to a CNN report on the 2nd, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 24 to 16 on the 1st, opening a "fast track" for the legislative agenda of the "Curbing American Technological Rivals Act" (referred to as the "DATA Act") strongly supported by Republicans. According to the text of the bill, if the U.S. government determines that TikTok and its parent company "may knowingly hand over user data to any foreign person working for or influenced by the Chinese government," Biden needs to impose punitive measures, including bans, on these companies; If the U.S. government finds that these companies "help China with intelligence gathering," sanctions are also needed. The bill also provides that the Biden administration can seek to impose penalties and restrictions on any U.S. persons who may hand over "sensitive personal data" to so-called "China-influenced entities."

Mao Ning said at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd that China firmly opposes the United States' repeated generalization of the concept of national security, abuse of national power, and unreasonable suppression of enterprises in other countries. The United States should earnestly respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop unreasonable suppression of relevant enterprises, and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for enterprises from all countries to invest and operate in the United States.

TikTok spokesman Oberwett said in a statement on the 1st: "The US ban on TikTok is equivalent to blocking the export of American culture and values... We are disappointed that this legislation has been moved in such a hasty manner, despite its negative impact on millions of TikTok users and enthusiasts in the United States. The statement also pointed out: "The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee is not based on real and valid information, but on a misunderstanding of our company's corporate structure." ”

"The Republican Party instinctively forbids the things it fears, from books to speech, seemingly unfettered." Democrat Gregory Meeks, vice chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the DATA Act of not only violating the rights of TikTok's more than 100 million U.S. users to freedom of expression and expression, but also damaging the economy of the United States and its allies. In his view, the legislation was not only not subject to expert review, but also "too broad". Meeks warned his congressional colleagues that lawmakers should not push the legislative agenda by selling fear, saying: "I have seen similar tactics before - because of the fear that Iraq will have weapons of mass destruction [and launch a war of aggression against Iraq], there is actually no evidence at all." ”

The bill still needs to be passed by a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate before it can be submitted to Biden to sign into law. The British "Independent" said that the Democrats voted against the "DATA bill" in the vote, which is not difficult to see that the bill is difficult to pass in Congress, and it is likely to eventually run aground in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Attempt to "electronically isolate" China

European News Network reported on the 2nd that some politicians in the United States are even discussing not only blocking TikTok at the federal government level, but also completely blocking it in American society, which has triggered a strong backlash from public opinion in the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union slammed the bill as "too vague and broad" and could violate "the right of the American people to express themselves freely." The US "Wired Network" website believes that the US attempt to block TikTok has nothing to do with privacy, but is brushing off the "electronic isolation" of China. Madeleine Carr, a professor of political science at University College London, said that if the TikTok ban in the United States is based on data breaches, then the first government to uninstall should be Facebook and WhatsApp, because the violations of data collection have long been known and have even been officially punished many times. The US "China Project Network" said that it needs to be seen that once TikTok is really blocked, a big problem will arise: many American small and medium-sized enterprises now use TikTok to engage in network marketing, which has become its main source of income.

The BBC reported that the 2024 election campaign in the United States has begun, and some politicians insist on banning TikTok, which worries Biden's campaign. Biden's campaign has long worked with the Biden Digital Alliance, which specializes in building momentum for Biden on TikTok. For example, after the first debate in the US election on September 29, 2020, the "Biden Digital Alliance" released a "pull good feelings" video on TikTok, which attracted more than 12 million views. In the video, Trump and Biden's respective wives walked on stage, Mrs. Biden gave Biden a deep hug, and Melania just patted Trump's arm (pictured). In addition, the American idol group "Jonas Brothers" was invited by the White House in 2021 to cooperate with Biden in a 17-second short film promoting the new crown vaccine, which received 50 million views and more than 10 million netizens liked it within 24 hours of its launch on TikTok.

How TikTok argues

For some time, the United States has been suppressing TikTok in the name of "national security". Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2020 banning TikTok from operating in the United States, but lost a series of court battles against the measure. Current President Joe Biden revoked a series of Trump's executive orders in June 2021 and ordered the Commerce Department to review security issues posed by the apps. According to Reuters, TikTok completed migrating data information from U.S. users to Oracle's servers in June last year, addressing U.S. regulators' concerns about data integrity. However, FCC Commissioner Brandon Carr still recommended last November that CFIUS take action to ban TikTok from operating in the United States.

In response to the unfriendly move of the United States to suppress TikTok, TikTok constantly seeks communication and negotiation: publishing the platform's overseas transparency report, indicating that TikTok has not received information requests or content deletion requests from Chinese users; Teen mode is online, and users under the age of 13 can only watch filtered videos. On March 1, TikTok announced that in the coming weeks, it will automatically set the time for users under the age of 18 to watch videos for one hour per day. In addition, parents or guardians are able to customize daily screen time for teens.

Forbes magazine said that if the "DATA Act" is finally passed, Biden can use the national emergency declaration or the transaction review authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to ban TikTok, or force it to sell its US business. TikTok, on the other hand, can invoke the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on "free speech" and the Fifth Amendment to "limit the government's power to deprive private property."