TikTok CEO Shou Chew warned U.S. users Wednesday that politicians seeking to ban the social media platform will effectively hand all the power to other social media companies and take “billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators” in a response just hours after the U.S. House passed a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the country.
The bill, named the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, still needs to pass the Senate and gain a signature by Joe Biden, though the president has already indicated he will sign the legislation into law if it reaches his desk. The House passed the bill 352-65, with both Republicans and Democrats voting for it.
Chew pleaded with users to “protect your constitutional rights” while adding that at least 300,000 American jobs were at risk. He claimed the company will “continue to do all we can including exercising our legal rights” if the bill does in fact become law.
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“Just wanted to share some thoughts with our US users about the disappointing vote in the House of Representatives,” Chew said. “There has been a lot of misinformation and I hope to clarify some things.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” Chew said, adding, “This legislation, if passed into law, will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States. Even the bill’s sponsors admit that’s their goal.”
The bill aims to force TikTok out of U.S.-based app stores unless its parent company, ByteDance, Ltd, sells its stake to a U.S company within six months. It otherwise prohibits “distributing, maintaining, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application.” ByteDance is Chinese owned and lawmakers have cited privacy concerns and “a significant threat to national security” as its reasons for introducing the move.
In May 2023, a former ByteDance executive described the business as a “useful propaganda tool for the Chinese Communist Party” and alleged Chinese engineers had “backdoor” access to user data in the United States, according to The New York Times. He also described a “culture of lawlessness.”
TikTok has roughly 170 million users, Chew said, adding of the privacy concerns, “over the last few years, we have invested to keep your data safe and our platform free of outside manipulation. We have committed that we will continue to do so.
“I encourage you to keep sharing your stories, share them with your friends, share them with a family, share them with the senators, protect your constitutional rights, make your voices heard,” Shou concluded. “Love you all.”
