Vice President Kamala Harris has assured the public that the Biden administration has no intentions of banning the popular video-sharing app TikTok, owned by the China-based company ByteDance.
Kamala Harris Says They Do Not Intend to Ban TikTok
While a bill seeking to ban TikTok passed in the House with a significant majority vote, its fate in the Senate remains uncertain. HuffPost reported that President Joe Biden has expressed willingness to sign the bill should it clear the Senate.
Speaking on ABC's "This Week" with journalist Rachel Scott, which aired Sunday, Kamala Harris emphasized that the administration is focusing on addressing national security concerns related to the Chinese firm rather than outright banning the platform.
"We do not intend to ban TikTok. That is not at all the goal or the purpose of this conversation. We need to deal with the owner and we have national security concerns about the owner of TikTok, but we have no intention to ban TikTok," Harris said.
The vice president also highlighted TikTok's role as an income source for many individuals. Over 170 million Americans use TikTok, and its creator economy has reportedly contributed to an industry worth more than $250 billion.
"It's an income generator for many people, what it does in terms of allowing people to share information in a free way, in a way that allows people to have discourse. It's very important," Harris noted.
TikTok Under US Scrutiny
According to HuffPost, the bill aims to restrict "foreign adversary controlled applications," like TikTok, and "any successor application or service and any other application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Ltd. or an entity under the control of ByteDance Ltd."
If passed, TikTok would be required to cut ties with its Chinese parent company within six months or face being banned from apps and web hosting sites across the US if ByteDance does not sell the app.
Many lawmakers are concerned that the app jeopardizes national security related to data collection and can be used to spread propaganda or influence elections.
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