TikTok faces shutdown threat in US even with Biden campaign now posting

ISTANBUL

A House of Representatives bill that aims to ban TikTok in the US drew flak on Thursday, a month after US President Joe Biden’s campaign joined the popular platform in a bid to woo younger voters.

“TikTok is at risk of being shut down in the US. Call your representative now,” said a stark message by the Chinese-owned app, prompting users to flood congressional offices with phone calls.

“Let Congress know what TikTok means to you and tell them to vote NO,” the message said, according to The Washington Post, which reported that users were directed to contact their local member of Congress after entering their postal codes.

Members of Congress have advanced a bill "explicitly targeting TikTok and other apps they accuse of being 'controlled' by foreign adversaries, such as China," the newspaper said, adding that the proposal could "force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell off the app or block it entirely" in the US.

Even though the app – which is owned by Chinese ByteDance – is blocked on phones used by federal government officials, the Biden campaign recently joined in an effort to attract the youth vote ahead of November's presidential elections, which are expected to be close.

The app is very popular with younger users, and in recent months Biden’s opponents have used it extensively to promote memes and short videos criticizing the president and his policies.

Since its launch in 2016, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app has skyrocketed in popularity, reaching over 750 million global users in 2022.

Two-thirds of American teens are now TikTok users.

But it has been criticized for allowing the Chinese government to access users’ sensitive personal data, including location and browsing history.

The US army had already prohibited TikTok on military devices, and the Senate passed a bill last December to prevent federal employees from using TikTok on government devices.