The United States House of Representatives has recently passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, voting to ban applications that pose threats to national security. This bill will restrict access to apps like the very popular TikTok, a video-sharing app owned by the Chinese tech group, ByteDance. 

The vote on the bill was primarily unanimous, with 353 representatives voting in favor, 65 voting against, 14 abstaining from voting, and one person voting themselves as present. 

195 representatives from the Republican party voted in favor while 155 Democrats supported it. The opposition votes were on the lighter side with 15 Republicans and 50 Democratic votes. Both parties had seven representatives abstain from voting, while Democrats had a singular vote for the present. 

A restriction on TikTok has been an ongoing conversation since 2020 when former President Donald Trump sanctioned a ban on the app for government-issued devices. Upon assuming office, President Joe Biden revoked this ban instead opting for an investigation into whether ByteDance applications truly posed a threat. However, the Biden Administration has shifted its stance on the app’s restriction as evidenced by the No TikTok on Government Devices Act being signed into law.

“​​Tiktok and other applications associated with the app company ByteDance will be selectively blocked from University networks effective September 1” said Howard’s  Office of Enterprise Technology in a statement to students last year. 

This did little to deter Howard students from using the platform as it only affects access through university-issued devices and one of the institution's WiFi networks. 

Users of the application have been asked by the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, to take a stand on the company’s behalf against this bill, resulting in an overwhelming number of complaints surrounding the passage of the bill. 

In a recent TikTok post, Chew shares a statement reassuring the American TikTok community that they’re doing all they can to ensure that personal information is protected and that their platform is “free from outside manipulation.” 

The CEO urged viewers to do what they could to help fight against this bill.  “We believe we can overcome this together. I encourage you to keep sharing your stories. Protect your constitutional rights. Make your voices heard.” 

Although this tactic might agitate officials, students find it to be an appropriate plan to allow voices to be heard.

“I feel like that’s a valid approach because the public has a lot of power. If we fight hard enough for something then we’re going to get it. They can’t stop the public. We’re what make[s] things run,” shared junior business marketing major Sean-Micheal Samuels. 

Samuels, a Youtuber under the alias Muusa, expressed that this also affects his career work.

“I feel like it’s a construction on free information. Banning TikTok is like banning another avenue to put out my content so that’s kind of like wow. I just feel like it’s messed up. It’s also an infringement of our rights.” 

Following the events of Oct. 7 between Hamas and Israel, the TikTok application began to explode with posts from creators around the world about their opinions and experiences of the events occurring. This momentum moved to other platforms such as the Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook applications. Unlike most TikTok uploads, many pro-Palestinian uploads and accounts made on Meta platforms were threatened or removed due to their content. 

Activist Shaun King had his entire Instagram account removed after months of posting pro-Palestinian content. Photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, reporting from Palestine, had his Facebook account suspended due to his coverage of the situation. 

The goal of the bill is to protect Americans from foreign applications, with particular concern expressed about TikTok. However, it is noteworthy that governmental officials have moved swiftly to consider banning the application during periods in which people were turning to TikTok to voice their concerns about the inactions of the government.  

Junior biology major Mhlengi (Temidayo) Famakinwa sees this situation as a means for governmental officials to regulate where people are consuming information. 

Although Famakinwa does not use TikTok himself, he observes from an outsider’s perspective, noting, “A lot of young adults and young kids use it a lot and it’s more so their way of absorbing information versus, watching news or reading about a particular topic.” 

The discussions surrounding the potential ban on TikTok, both positive and negative, have raised questions about government priorities. 

Samuels remarks, “They can’t come together for healthcare, they can’t come together for civil rights, they can’t come together for a lot of major issues, but they can come together to ban TikTok. So it’s like what’s really the ultimate motive here?”