How MD House Lawmakers Voted On TikTok Ban

MARYLAND — The Maryland congressional delegation voted with the majority Wednesday on a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn't sell.

All eight members of the House from Maryland voted for the ban, including lone Republican Andy Harris (1st District), who said the app poses a security risk to users.

“Personal data privacy, as well as national security, should be a concern to everyone, and any temporary inconvenience in a change of ownership outweighs the risk of the Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on the personal data of American citizens. The Chinese Communist Party is no friend,” Harris said.

Also voting for the ban are Democrats Steny H. Hoyer, Glenn Ivey, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, (Dutch) C.A. Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and David Trone.

The House of Representatives 352-65 vote came as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company's current ownership structure is a national security threat. It now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.

TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.

The lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s consumers in the U.S. any time it wants. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.

“We have given TikTok a clear choice,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R-WA). “Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok's.”

House passage of the bill is only the first step. The Senate would also need to pass the measure for it to become law, and lawmakers in that chamber indicated it would undergo a thorough review. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he'll have to consult with relevant committee chairs to determine the bill's path.

President Joe Biden has said if Congress passes the measure, he will sign it.

The House vote is poised to open a new front in the long-running feud between lawmakers and the tech industry. Members of Congress have long been critical of tech platforms and their expansive influence, often clashing with executives over industry practices. But by targeting TikTok, lawmakers are singling out a platform popular with millions of people, many of whom skew younger, just months before an election.

Opposition to the bill was also bipartisan. Some Republicans said the U.S. should warn consumers if there are data privacy and propaganda concerns, while some Democrats voiced concerns about the impact a ban would have on its millions of users in the U.S., many of whom are entrepreneurs and business owners.

“The answer to authoritarianism is not more authoritarianism,” said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). “The answer to CCP-style propaganda is not CCP-style oppression. Let us slow down before we blunder down this very steep and slippery slope.”

Ahead of the House vote, a top national security official in the Biden administration held a closed-door briefing Tuesday with lawmakers to discuss TikTok and the national security implications. Lawmakers are balancing those security concerns against a desire not to limit free speech online.

“What we've tried to do here is be very thoughtful and deliberate about the need to force a divestiture of TikTok without granting any authority to the executive branch to regulate content or go after any American company,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the bill's author, as he emerged from the briefing.

TikTok has long denied that it could be used as a tool of the Chinese government. The company has said it has never shared U.S. user data with Chinese authorities and won’t do so if it is asked. To date, the U.S. government also has not provided any evidence that shows TikTok shared such information with Chinese authorities. The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S.

In a statement on the House vote, TikTok said, “This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

Reporting by The Associated Press