Now that the United States House has passed a bill to ban TikTok in a 352-65 vote, there is fear now of the likelihood the Senate will pass it too and so would President Biden. The President even stated he would sign the bill if it gets to him after a Senate vote. Will this happen?
155 Democrats voted for this bill which had strong Republican backing. Given the narrow margins in the balance of the Senate, one might think it is inevitable. However, the Senate has already begun slowing the bill to ban the app which 100 million Americans use. This could allow time for lobbyists to strike down the bill as well as for TikTok to question constitutionality and raise legal concerns.
If the bill does pass, TikTok and parent company ByteDance would have 6 months to sell to American owners. Why is this happening? The proposed reason is privacy concerns. However, the same privacy concerns exist with Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), if not to a greater extent even. So, if that is the case, why is there a bill to ban TikTok? The answer is simple. The answer is hegemony.
United States politicians do not serve the 100 million Americans using TikTok for their career, business, or pleasure. U.S. politicians serve the billionaire class, capital owners, as well as the United Statesā interests as a global empire. This means that every policy or piece of legislation comes back to that, and the United States simply wants to own TikTok. The ruling class simply wants their share and for their āgeopolitical foeā, China, to not. Thatās why weāve already seen buyers lining up for a potential sale, even though TikTok has stated it is not for sale.
It is also about controlling the narrative. Anti-Palestinian lobbyist, Jonathan Greenblatt, recently stated concerns about TikTok over content that was supportive of Palestinian lives. He is the ADL (Anti Defamation League) CEO and we know how heavily the ADL influences American policy. Censorship of Palestinian support is also not foreign to American-owned social platforms. Just look at how Facebook has addressed the issue.
There is a lot more to this ban than many realize. Ultimately, why it matters is how many people it displaces from income in already difficult economic conditions, as well as depriving culture of another platform. Music culture, pop culture, and entertainment culture is losing publications and places to consume culture due to lack of equity. Pitchfork is a recent example. There isnāt an MTV or Playboy anymore to consume culture and TikTok, as well as other social platforms have claimed that mantle. The biggest loser in a ban of TikTok would be the culture.
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