House Votes to Limit TikTok’s Ties with Chinese Communist Party
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant vote led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the House of Representatives voted 352-65 in favor of legislation requiring TikTok to cut its ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (HR 7521) aims to safeguard the data of millions of Americans and address national security concerns associated with the app.
The bill, receiving bipartisan support, now advances to the Senate for further deliberation. Smith emphasized the importance of the legislation in combating the CCP’s attempts to influence American public opinion and collect data on U.S. citizens through TikTok.
Smith has been a vocal critic of the CCP’s human rights violations and highlighted recent instances where TikTok was used to propagate CCP ideologies to American youth. The concern over TikTok’s data privacy practices was underscored by Smith, noting the Chinese law that obliges companies like ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to share data with the government upon request.
The legislation’s passage in the House reflects growing apprehensions about TikTok’s connections to the CCP and the potential risks to national security and privacy.