Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Opposes Legislation to Force TikTok Sale

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced on Wednesday that she plans to vote against a bill that mandates TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the United States. According to Yahoo, Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, “I’m voting NO on the TikTok forced sale bill. This bill was incredibly rushed, from committee to vote in 4 days, with little explanation.”

The proposed legislation, introduced last week, has been expedited through the House. Per Yahoo, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” just two days after its introduction. The House is set to vote on the bill on Wednesday morning.

The bill stipulates that ByteDance has 165 days from the enactment date to divest from TikTok, or the app will be banned from U.S. app stores and web hosting services. Ocasio-Cortez raised concerns about the process, citing “serious antitrust and privacy questions” and urging that any national security issues be publicly disclosed prior to the vote.

Related: 21 States and 50 Lawmakers Back TikTok US Ban

President Biden has expressed support for the legislation, indicating last Friday that he would sign it if passed by Congress. The White House has characterized the bill as “an important and welcome step” toward mitigating potential data privacy and national security threats associated with the app.

A National Security Council spokesperson emphasized the bipartisan effort behind the bill, stating, “The Administration has worked with Members of Congress from both parties to arrive at a durable legislative solution that would address the threat of technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans’ sensitive data and our broader national security,” per Yahoo.

Source: Yahoo