The decision by United States (US) lawmakers to pass a bill targeting TikTok, a popular short-form video app owned by China-based ByteDance, is a direct assault on the fundamental values enshrined in the US Constitution. The bill, which passed by a wide margin in both the Senate and the House, gives ByteDance up to one year to sell TikTok to a US-based company or face a ban from American app stores.
This move, ostensibly motivated by concerns over data privacy and censorship, sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use TikTok as a platform for creative expression. By forcing TikTok to sell or face deletion, lawmakers are effectively stifling free speech and limiting access to a popular form of social media.
TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, Michael Beckerman, has rightly pointed out that the bill violates the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. Beckerman has indicated that TikTok will challenge the legislation in court, a move that is supported by precedent. In 2023, a federal judge in Montana blocked a state ban on TikTok, ruling that it violated users’ free speech rights.
The concerns raised about TikTok’s data privacy practices and its potential to censor content are not legitimate, they should be addressed through transparent and accountable means, not by trampling on the constitutional rights of American citizens. The passage of this bill is a troubling indication of the erosion of democratic values in the United States…
It is worth noting that similar bans on TikTok have been implemented in other countries, such as India, where the app was banned in 2020 following safety concerns. However, these bans do not justify a blanket restriction on TikTok in the United States, where freedom of speech is a foundational principle.
It’s shocking that the land of the free and brave wants to dictate to Americans where their source of information and entertainment should be, this sounds like a move from a third world country, it’s appalling!
