The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday, March 13, that would prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States or necessitate its sale, marking the most severe challenge yet to the widely-used short-form video platform.
Lawmakers voted 352 in favor of the proposed law and 65 against, with both Democrats and Republicans asserting it poses a threat to the personal data of U.S. users. Concerns include China potentially exploiting TikTok’s content recommendations for misinformation.
Meanwhile, users and creators argue that the bill is being considered because of disagreement over perspectives on the Israel versus Hamas war. This concern has intensified in the United States during the latest Israeli war on Gaza.
American frustrations erupted on social media in the days following the bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives in favor of proposed legislation. If passed, the legislation would compel the Chinese-owned company ByteDance to divest from the popular video-sharing platform.
An argument began to circulate that the U.S. government is displeased with some of the progressive politics emerging on TikTok. A number of members of Congress, along with conservative activists and tech investors, expressed their outrage about the amount of pro-Palestinian content on the platform. They argued that TikTok’s algorithm was biased towards Palestine, fueling the spread of antisemitism and conflicting with U.S. foreign policy interests.
Why the United States Is Considering Whether to Ban TikTok?
After the House passed the bill on Wednesday, the model and writer Emily Ratajkowski took to TikTok and her 2.7 million followers with a response, stating that TikTok has become a hub for politics and activism, important to many users yet potentially threatening to higher forces.
"Because this is one of the few platforms that isn't completely controlled by the U.S. government or by corporations that have the U.S. government's interests in mind, progressive politics have been able to flourish here," Ratajkowski says in the video.
"TikTok is facing a ban," she continued, "because the U.S. government is legitimately concerned about the influence it's having on the American people and the general population, which to me indicates that TikTok is a very powerful tool for organization, alternative thinking, and activism."
TikTok Has Opened Conversations That Are Arguably Missing or Deemed More Complicated by Others
Many individuals have used the Israel-Hamas war as motivation to delve deeper into the United States' history in the Middle East. In November, several TikTok users shared their reactions to former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's 2002 "Letter to America," which outlines the reasons why al-Qaeda opposes the U.S. and its rationale for carrying out the September 11 attacks.
Nearly every influential individual or brand has used TikTok to express support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion that occurred in 2022.
Moreover, many people are currently gaining their initial understanding of Palestine's history and the Nakba through TikTok, leading to shifting perspectives that are creating generational divides within Jewish families.
TikTok has been a useful platform not only concerning Palestine but also regarding issues such as abortion and anti-racism efforts.
Gaza Solidarity Played Major Role in the Resurgence of Efforts to Ban TikTok in the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal, in a report, observed that one of the major reasons behind the urgency to pass the bill could be Washington’s concern over the abundance of content regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza floating all over TikTok.
Jacob Helbert, a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, told the WSJ that the U.S. Congress has recently renewed its interest in passing legislation, driven by the platform's influence on shaping public opinion. 'When lawmakers went public last week with their plans, the broad support for the bill caught TikTok by surprise,' the WSJ reported. Helbert explained that Israel’s war on Gaza was a factor in deciding the course of action and the swift change of attitude. 'It was slow going until October 7. The attack that day in Israel by Hamas and the ensuing war in Gaza became a turning point in the push against TikTok,' Helbert was quoted by the WSJ as saying.
Why TikTok Matters?
Anthony Goldbloom, a San Francisco-based data scientist and tech executive, analyzed the data published by TikTok in its dashboard for ad buyers, showing the number of times users watched videos with certain hashtags.
Goldbloom pointed out the impact of TikTok on the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, not only because the app is generally influential with young Americans, but also because it drives political sentiment, particularly on college campuses.
According to a Pew poll published on December 8, 32% of Americans aged 18-29 say they regularly get news from TikTok, up from 9% in 2020. This makes it one of the top news sources for Gen Z.
After the October 7 attacks by Israel against Palestinians, the Anti-Defamation League recorded a 10x increase in antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses. This coincided with a surge of pro-Palestinian content on TikTok: at its peak, 98.6% of U.S. views on TikTok of content related to the Israel-Hamas war carried a pro-Palestinian hashtag.
Moreover, in a Republican presidential primary debate, Nikki Haley cited Goldbloom’s research and advocated for the ban of TikTok.
As criticism of U.S. President Joe Biden's endorsement of the Gaza war continues to grow, the majority of voters who supported him in the 2020 election have opposed the shipment of weapons to Israel.
All of these factors highlight the increasing solidarity of U.S. citizens with Palestinians and its negative impact on public opinion concerning the Biden administration.
Read More
The New York Times Probes Its Staffers Over Leaks About Sexual Violence Investigation on October 7
Testimonies and Evidence Condemning the Israeli Occupation in the Kuwait Roundabout Massacre
