TikTok Will Resist Blocking Efforts in the US

#TikTok #Resist #Blocking #Efforts

Jakarta –

TikTok has confirmed that it will fight and challenge the new US law which could result in blocking the platform in the United States.

The law which TikTok considers to violate the constitution has only just been signed by US President Joe Biden. The contents require ByteDance to sell TikTok or divest it to another company. If it is not sold, then TikTok will be blocked in the US.

The US created this law because it was worried that TikTok would leak customer data to the Chinese government, an accusation that TikTok has always denied.

“We are confident and will continue to fight for your rights in court. The truth and the constitution are on our side…Regardless, we are not going anywhere,” said TikTok CEO Shou Crew, in a video posted on the platform.

In the video, Crew criticized the law and said that users who shared their stories via TikTok had succeeded in improving their quality of life, as quoted by detikINET from the BBC, Thursday (25/4/2024).

“Make no mistake, this is a block. A block on TikTok, a block on you and your voice,” he added.

In a different statement, TikTok said they believed that the facts and law were clearly on their side.

“The fact is that we have invested billions of dollars to keep US data safe and our platform free from foreign influence and manipulation,” TikTok wrote in its statement.

Before being passed by President Biden, the bill was passed by the United States Senate. In a vote in the Senate, the bill passed with a vote of 79-18.

Next, the bill with the full name ‘Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act’ was brought to US President Joe Biden’s desk. He previously said he would pass the bill into law if it passes both Congress and the Senate.

This bill can pass quickly in the Senate because it is combined with a bill related to military assistance to US allies such as Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Apart from that, this bill was revised to extend the divestment period from six months to nine months as well as an option to extend it to three months.

Once passed, ByteDance will have up to a year to sell TikTok to another company. Otherwise, the video sharing platform will be completely blocked on app stores and web hosting services operating in America.

Watch the video “US plans to block TikTok, what about Indonesia?”

(asj/fay)