TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew has responded to a recent bill to ban the platform in the United States if the company does not sever ties with Chinese owner ByteDance.
Chew addressed users on the TikTok Policy account on X on the 13th of March and took to the platform to share his thoughts on the “disappointing vote.”
In his address, Chew claims that there has been a lot of misinformation floating around and wants to clarify some information.
Chew claims that TikTok has “invested to keep your data safe and (the) platform free from outside manipulation.”
If “this legislation is signed into law, this WILL lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States,” the caption accompanying the video reads.
Chew states that the bill's sponsors admit that their goal is to ban TikTok in the US, and the bill will generate more power for other social media companies.
TikTok’s CEO appeals to users in the video, stating that the ban will deprive creators and small businesses, taking “billions of dollars out of (their) pockets.”
“300,000 American jobs will be at risk, and it will take away your TikTok,” Chew said.
TikTok has supposedly empowered seven million businesses in the United States, as well as allowing 170 million users to “freely express themselves,” according to Chew.
Throughout the video, Chew highlights the importance of TikTok for small businesses and content creators, who “rely on TikTok to make ends meet.”
Chew urges TikTok users to share their stories with family, friends, and even senators to protect their constitutional rights.
The video ends with the statement, “Make your voices heard. Love you all.”
This statement comes just after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets of the short-video app used by about 170 million Americans or face a ban.
To learn more about ‘what’s up and what’s next’ with the TikTok ban, read Cybernews’ latest article.
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