FORT RIGHT, Ky. — A House committee has introduced a bill that could trigger a federal ban on the popular app TikTok.
The safety of TikTok has long been debated in the United States over concerns that data could be leaked to the Chinese government.
The bill, which passed unanimously in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would remove TikTok from U.S. app stores unless parent company ByteDance sells it within 165 days. Similar rules could be established for other apps controlled by foreign adversaries.
Fort Wright Mayor Dave Hatter, a cybersecurity expert and software engineer for 25 years, said he supports such a ban and has done so for many years.
“Not only are they collecting vast amounts of information about you from your device where TikTok is installed, but they are also sending that information to China, where the Chinese Communist Party, the main enemy of the United States, has access to that information. ,” he said. “What can we do with it? Well, it's hard to say.”
“We've basically put tools in the pockets of tens of millions of Americans to potentially control their minds from the world's greatest enemy. To me, that's just nuts. Yes, I agree with this 100%.”
The company's CEO previously testified that the app is not a threat to Americans. But U.S. officials have long warned that Chinese law could allow the government to spy on TikTok users.
“They recognized the ability to make anything go viral on TikTok,” Hatter said. “So can they say, 'Here is content that is going to divide America'?”
Apple's App Tracking Transparency Framework outlines the types of data TikTok collects, including contacts, location, purchase history, and other financial information.
“Why does TikTok need to know about your purchases? Why does TikTok need to know your location?” Hatter said. “[TikTok] There is a huge amount of information about them; [TikTok] It's about understanding what is the right way to manipulate and try to influence them. ”
“Do you want to be manipulated like that? I know you don't like it.”
Nicholas Caporusso, an associate professor of computing and analytics at Northern Kentucky University, said TikTok is working on powerful AI algorithms.
“You can imagine what a presidential election would be like if TikTok could also leverage generative AI to spread its message to so many users,” Caporusso said.
One question being raised is whether banning TikTok is a violation of First Amendment rights.
“There is no risk in terms of free speech because there are alternatives that creators have used,” Caporusso said.
Caporusso added that he believes this bill is a good first step toward addressing some of the types of problems caused by technology.
The bill has bipartisan support and now heads to a floor vote. TikTok, on the other hand, opposes the bill, sending a message to its users that it takes away Americans' right to free expression.
President Joe Biden said he supports the bill, even though his office created a TikTok account.
