WASHINGTON — 

The youthful individuals in the communications addressed to Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina were jovial, yet their remarks carried a foreboding tone.

“I will hunt you down and harm you if you ban TikTok,” one individual said amidst laughter and interrupting other young voices in the background. “I’ll harm you, find you, and dismember you.” Another person threatened to end Tillis’ life before taking their own.

Tillis’s team reports receiving approximately 1,000 hotline inquiries regarding TikTok following the passing of a bill by the House that would eliminate the app if its Chinese parent company does not divest its ownership. TikTok has been actively encouraging its predominantly young user base to contact their legislators, offering a simple link to obtain their phone numbers. Upon opening the app, one pop-up message from the company read, “The government will dismantle the community that you and countless other Americans cherish.”

Tillis notified the police, as he backs the House legislation. In an interview, he expressed his unhappiness with the situation, as it highlights the significant impact that social media platforms have on youth.

Despite being more assertive than others, TikTok’s expansive efforts to influence lawmakers serve as the newest endeavor by the technology world to prevent any potential legislation – a battle the industry often walks away victorious from. Over the years, Congress has been unsuccessful in passing bills that would safeguard user privacy, shield children from online dangers, hold companies accountable for their content, and establish limitations for artificial intelligence, among other issues.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner from Virginia, who used to work in the tech industry, expresses his support for the TikTok bill and urges his fellow senators to regulate the industry. He acknowledges the irony of their lack of success in passing tech-related legislation.

The TikTok legislation is viewed by some as a prime opportunity to establish regulations for the technology industry and create a precedent, although it primarily targets one specific company. President Joe Biden has expressed his intention to endorse the House bill, which was approved by an impressive margin of 362-65 this month and unanimously voted on by the committee with a rare 50-0 vote prior to reaching the House floor.

Unfortunately, it is facing challenges in the Senate due to the lack of agreement on the most effective solution to prevent China from obtaining private data from the app’s 170 million American users and manipulating them through its algorithms.

There are additional reasons that are preventing the Senate from taking action. The technology sector is vast and falls under the authority of multiple committees. Furthermore, the concerns at hand do not neatly align with political party divisions, creating challenges for lawmakers to reach a consensus on key issues and the approach to drafting legislation. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, has been hesitant to support the TikTok bill and has proposed holding hearings before moving forward, and has even suggested potentially rewriting it.

Cantwell stated that they are currently in the midst of a procedure that is crucial to approach carefully and accurately.

Warner believes that the House bill is the most promising path towards taking action after many years of not doing so. He also mentions that the intimidating phone calls from youth serve as a prime example of why this legislation is necessary. He questions whether we want the Communist Party of China to have the power to manipulate these types of messages.

There is concern among legislators that banning TikTok may upset a significant portion of young voters who rely on the app. However, Senator Warner notes that the conversation has changed from a complete prohibition a year ago to a current House proposal that would require TikTok, a subsidiary of Chinese tech company ByteDance Ltd., to sell its ownership in order to remain active.

During a televised interview on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged the widespread use of TikTok and its role as a source of income for many individuals. She stated that the government has no plans to prohibit the app, but rather address its ownership. Harris expressed an understanding of the app’s purpose and enjoyment among a large number of individuals during her appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

The Republican party is split on the issue. Some are in favor of the legislation regarding TikTok, while others express concerns about excessive regulation and the government singling out one particular entity.

“The passing of the House’s ban on TikTok is not simply an incorrect power grab; it is an unnecessarily severe action that restricts free speech, violates constitutional rights, and hinders the economic endeavors of millions of individuals in America,” stated Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee are seeking to convince their fellow lawmakers to back the bill by urging intelligence agencies to make public any details regarding TikTok and its ownership by China that have been shared in classified briefings with senators.

The senators reiterated the utmost importance of American citizens, particularly those who use TikTok, to comprehend the potential national security concerns involved.

Blumenthal and Blackburn have separate legislation they have been working on for several years aimed at protecting children’s online safety, but the Senate has yet to vote on it. Efforts to regulate online privacy have also stalled, as has legislation to make technology companies more liable for the content they publish.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, attempted to expeditiously pass a bill that would oversee the rapidly growing artificial intelligence sector, but there has been no progress thus far.

Schumer has not provided much information about his plans for the TikTok legislation and whether or not he will bring it to a vote in the Senate.

He only mentioned that the Senate will examine the bill after it is transferred from the House, following the bill’s approval by the House.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who has collaborated with Schumer on the topic of artificial intelligence, believes that the Senate will ultimately be able to approve a bill regarding TikTok, even if it is a modified version. He explains that after the classified briefings, most members were convinced that they must tackle the issue of data collection from the app and the potential spread of misinformation to users.

He expressed concern about the potential danger to our country if we fail to take action. He emphasized that the task does not need to be completed within a two-week timeframe, but it does need to be addressed.

The author reveals that Rounds and Schumer continue to have frequent discussions about artificial intelligence. They are also planning to make their proposals known to the public in the near future. The author states that Rounds is hopeful that the Senate will eventually take action to regulate the technology industry.

Rounds states that there are certain areas we will not attempt to delve into, yet there are other areas where we have widespread agreement.

Tillis suggests that senators may need to persist in preparing and informing their fellow colleagues about the necessity of certain regulations, in hopes of passing legislation in the upcoming Congress.

Tillis stated that it cannot be like the untamed western frontier.

Source: voanews.com