Democratic Senators have voted to advance legislation that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States, but they do not anticipate facing a backlash from voters for their decision. The legislation, which is part of a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban in the US. ByteDance is based in China, and lawmakers are concerned about the potential for the Chinese Communist Party to access user data. Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2019 to ban TikTok, but a court blocked the order in late 2020. Trump has since changed his position on the app, saying he opposes a ban on the grounds that it would benefit companies like Meta, owner of Facebook. Democratic Senators, however, seem unfazed by the possibility of a backlash from voters. Senator Mark Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told The Independent that the legislation is a “divestiture, not a ban.” He added that he believes TikTok is a creative platform, but it should not be controlled by an entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia also said he is not concerned about a backlash from voters. “TikTok is not going to be banned,” he told The Independent. “Everybody’s going to still have access to TikTok.” Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania told reporters that the legislation would not ban TikTok. “I’ve been very clear I’m not trying to ban it,” he said. “I can’t wait to vote to force it to divest, and I could have banned it in my home and I didn’t. So I’m not trying to ban it [federally].” Polling has shown that young voters are not universally in favor of or opposed to banning TikTok. An Economist / YouGov poll from last month showed that 46 percent of 18 to 29-year-old US adults have a TikTok account, significantly less than the 66 percent who say they have a Facebook account and the 77 percent who say they have an account on YouTube. But a narrow plurality of that same demographic has a negative view of TikTok at 47 percent, compared to 45 percent who have a positive view. Nevertheless, young US adults disproportionately oppose requiring TikTok to be sold, with 49 percent saying they oppose it. Conversely, a plurality or majority of every other age group supports ByteDance selling the network. Young voters are also split depending on TikTok usage, with 50 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds who use TikTok opposing a ban, while 52 percent of non-TikTok users support one. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, the youngest Senator, said he is not concerned about a backlash from voters. Mr. Ossoff used to post regularly on TikTok but his account has not posted a video on the app since 2021. “The requirement is for new ownership,” Mr. Ossoff told The Independent. “It’s about striking the right balance between real privacy and national security concerns, and the understandable desire for users to engage on these platforms and folks at businesses so I understand the concern.” Former Trump administration treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has expressed interest in purchasing the company.
Democratic Senators Unconcerned About Backlash Despite Votes for Potential TikTok Ban
