Clock’s Ticking on TikTok: Time To Ban or Sell App
The House of Representatives has taken the big first step in banning TikTok — or forcing ByteDance to sell its stake (“House socks TikTok,” March 14).
The bipartisan legislation was authored by Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin. We shall see where it goes from here, but for now there are some lingering questions.
First, who were the 65 reps who voted against the bill? There is nothing more important than our national security.
Why Sen. Chuck Schumer is unsure if he will bring the bill to a vote is also strange, but I’m sure there is a political reason. President Biden has said he would sign the bill if it got passed through the Senate. We need to get this bill signed into law to curb China’s influence. Bob Robustelli Stamford, Conn.
This is a perfect example of the adage “Closing the barn door after the horses have bolted.”
TikTok is already ingrained in American youth culture.
It’s also a good baitand-switch, keeping people occupied with this proposed ban while ignoring more important issues. Kathryn Ruskin
Boynton Beach, Fla.
China wants to expand its influence across the world and the Chinese Communist Party knows the addictive TikTok platform will help it do this. Beijing also knows that American youth are vulnerable to misinformation.
Ban the Chinese-controlled version of TikTok and let an American patriot buy the company. JR Cummings Manhattan
I don’t think TikTok should be owned by a Chinese company. It might be tolerable if it were owned by a company based in a non-adversarial country. The Chinese have easy access to our information, although they can likely get it anyway through other means.
Social media sites tracking our information across platforms must also be addressed. That’s the real issue here.
I disagree with section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which states that internet platforms are not liable for what people write on them. Social media is no different than cable news or newspapers. It should be held to the same standards.