US Senators Accuse TikTok of Interfering in Elections Globally, Including India

Speaking as guests in a debate on the use of the popular social media platform TikTok, the lawmakers welcomed India's ban on it.

As a deadline for a possible ban on the TikTok platform approaches in the US, senators in the country accused the Chinese Communist Party-owned app of interfering in elections in multiple countries, including India. Senators also asked that the deadline be extended to close the app down.

Speaking as guests in a debate on the use of the popular social media platform TikTok, the lawmakers welcomed India's ban on it.

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A year ago, President Joe Biden signed into law a prohibition on US app stores to list TikTok, unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. divests its American arm by Sunday, January 19.

"TikTok meddles in the politics of other countries by amplifying divisive content in for instance, Israel, India and of course America. Don't forget that TikTok harvests a vast trove of user data including name age, email address, phone number, credit card number, facial features, voice prints, keystrokes photos, videos and viewing habits," Senator Tom Cotton said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

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"We have seen TikTok's interference in elections elsewhere around the world. Most recently in Romania. The European Commission just opened an investigation into TikTok's failure to limit election interference in Romania's election and that has caused all sorts of disruption in that country," Senator Pete Ricketts said.

"India has banned TikTok for the very same reason that they are seeing the push of Chinese propaganda that slants on their news media the same way we see it here in America," said Ricketts on the Senate floor.
There are 170 million TikTok users in the US. Senators Ron Wyden, Edward Markey, Cory Booker, and Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna, — all Democrats — have joined in introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would delay the January 19 deadline by an additional 270 days when ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban.

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The hasty divestment of TikTok is a huge giveaway to Donald Trump and his cronies, who are poised to scoop up a massive social media company and turn it into another partisan mouthpiece," Wyden said.
"Extending the deadline to sell TikTok will give Congress the time to consider other options to soften the blow from China, courts to review the law, and other bidders to come forward to propose purchasing TikTok with more time for public review," he added.

"A ban on TikTok infringes on the free speech rights of 170 million Americans and harms the livelihoods of creators and small business owners who rely on the app," said Khanna.

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"We need laws to protect Americans' data, but banning TikTok is not the answer," Khanna said.

"The TikTok ban was rushed through without sufficient consideration of the profound consequences it would have on the 170 million Americans who use the platform," said Senator Markey.

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"Today, TikTok is a space where users share critical resources during emergencies such as the Los Angeles wildfires, earn money to cover groceries and medical care and build community in challenging times. The Extend the TikTok Deadline Act is a straightforward, one-sentence bill designed to give Congress the time needed to fully assess the implications of this ban," he said.

Tens of millions of Americans use TikTok for entertainment, business, and social networking, including myself," Senator Booker said. "Americans should not be shut off from freely expressing themselves on the platforms they choose. I do believe that ByteDance should divest from TikTok, but it should be given sufficient time to carry out a sale," he added.

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Senators Markey and Rand Paul, along with Ro Khanna, recently submitted a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief urging the US Supreme Court to reverse the DC Circuit Court’s decision in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, which upheld the TikTok ban established under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

According to The Wall Street Journal, on Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Chew is to attend Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.

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Incoming National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, while appearing on a news channel indicated that there could be an extension of the deadline.

Read also| Incoming US NSA Signals Continuation of Biden Policies, Hails India as Critical Partner

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