LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Members of the Arkansas delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives all voted in favor of a bill that would mandate the sale of the popular social-media app TikTok.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company BtyeDance. Critics have argued that the company has ties that are too close to China’s government amidst concerns about data privacy.
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Arkansas representatives joined 348 House members in favor of the bill, which was opposed by 65 members, indicating bipartisan support. President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill into law if it passed in the Senate.
Rep. French Hill (AR- 02) said his vote was to protect Arkansas from the Chinese Communist Party.
“This is not about targeting TikTok – my vote today was about protecting central Arkansans and Americans from surveillance and manipulation by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” Hill said, adding “TikTok is using CCP dominated technology that is being leveraged to gather massive amounts of data on American citizens, posing a major national security risk.”
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Rep. Rick Crawford (AR – 01), who is chair of the House CIA Subcommittee, spoke about the CCP threat to national security.
“From storing Americans’ biometrics when they use TikTok filters, to accessing financial data and location information, and more, the amount of personal data the CCP has on Americans is alarming, and it is a national security threat,” Crawford said. “What’s more, allowing a Chinese owned app to maliciously operate within our borders is a gateway for foreign espionage and malicious impacts that can be weaponized at a moment’s notice.”
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Rep. Steve Womack (AR-03) spoke about the difference between voting to ban the app and voting to protect Americans as the app gathers “mass amounts of data” from its users.
“I realize there are millions of TikTok users across the country, including our district,” Womack said. “I want these users to understand that our goal with this bill is not to ban TikTok. Our goal is to protect users by separating apps from foreign adversaries, which in this case is the Chinese Communist Party.”
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Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04) posted his take on the legislation on social media the night before the Wednesday vote.
“The bill we are voting on tomorrow will block foreign adversaries from using apps like TikTok to surveil, target, and manipulate Americans online,” Westerman posted. “It does not outright ban TikTok or other social media platforms. Instead, it forces TikTok to make a choice: sever ties with ByteDance and sell the app to a buyer with no ties to the CCP, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, or face prohibition in U.S. app stores.”
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The next step for the bill is a Senate vote. It is expected to go through a careful review prior to a vote taking place.
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