Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat representing Silicon Valley, is making headlines for his opposition to a sweeping ban of the popular social media platform TikTok. Despite a bill overwhelmingly passing the House last week, with 352 to 65 votes, Khanna and 49 other Democrats voted against it, citing concerns about its effectiveness.
In a recent interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Khanna argued that instead of banning TikTok, the focus should be on enhancing data privacy laws to prevent the transfer of private data to foreign entities, including Chinese companies. He emphasized the need for legislation that specifically addresses data privacy issues and prohibits the sale of Americans’ personal information.
The legislation in question requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets within six months or face a ban in the United States. Supporters of the bill are worried about the Chinese government accessing the data of millions of U.S. residents and potentially influencing public discourse through the app’s algorithms.
While acknowledging the security concerns raised by critics of TikTok, Khanna proposed a more targeted approach with a narrowly tailored law that restricts the transfer of private data to foreign countries. He has long advocated for stricter regulations on tech companies’ data collection practices.
The fate of the bill in the Senate remains uncertain, with Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, expressing openness to supporting the House legislation but not committing to a final decision. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, also voiced support for swift action against TikTok, highlighting the potential influence of the Chinese Communist Party on American discourse.
As the debate over TikTok and data privacy continues, lawmakers are grappling with how best to address national security concerns without infringing on Americans’ rights to free speech and impacting small businesses that rely on the platform for marketing and sales. The issue is sure to spark further discussion and debate in the coming weeks.
