On March 13, the House passed legislation that would force a sale of TikTok and potentially ban the application in the United States. Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. voted against the legislation.
“The rush to ban TikTok sets a dangerous precedent for our country by undermining our freedom of speech, which is why I voted against H.R. 7521,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16).
“Legislation like this would not be effective in protecting Americans’ data and privacy. Every Big Tech company, both foreign and domestic, mines and sells our data for their own profits. We need to focus on cracking down on surveillance capitalism and predatory algorithms that harm our kids.
I, along with millions of others, especially young people, use TikTok as a place to interact with my community in a positive, uplifting way. We need to protect our young people’s right to free expression, and banning TikTok only silences their valuable voices.
This is not about defending TikTok as a company, and we need strong regulation that applies to every social media platform in order to protect our data and our children. Let’s use this moment to craft a comprehensive approach to safeguarding and democratizing the social media landscape,” said Bowman.
The bill still has to be passed in the U.S. Senate, and then signed by President Biden before it can become law.