by Misty Severi
Supporters of the legislation claim that the app poses a national security risk because it is owned by a Chinese company, and thereby could expose sensitive U.S. data to the Chinese government.
President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said on Wednesday that it still plans to stay on the controversial app TikTok, despite the president’s signing a foreign aid package that could eventually ban it in the United States.
The $95 billion foreign aid package that the president signed into law includes a bill that requires the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell the app and its algorithm, or be banned from app stores in the United States. The Chinese company has nine months to sell the app, or one year if a sale is in the works by the end of the nine month deadline.
A Biden campaign official said that the campaign would continue using TikTok, despite the national security concerns, because it helps them reach young voters.
“When the stakes are this high in the election, we are going to use every tool we have to reach young voters where they are,” the official told The Hill.
The campaign said it is using “enhanced security measures” on the app, but did not go into detail on what the security measures are.
Supporters of the legislation, including Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, claim that the app poses a national security risk because it is owned by a Chinese company, and thereby could expose sensitive U.S. data to the Chinese government.
TikTok slammed the ban in a statement, claiming the new law is “unconstitutional,” and is expected to file a legal challenge in the coming days. It also rejected claims that the app poses a national security risk, stating that it has invested “billions of dollars” into making sure that the app keeps American data safe and free from “outside influence.”
“This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court.  “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail,” TikTok said in a statement, per Fox News. “This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. … As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired.”
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Misty Severi is a reporter at Just the News.
Photo “President Biden” by The White House. Background Photo “TikTok” by Solen Feyissa.
