A highly contentious debate surrounds the potential ban of the controversial Chinese social media application, TikTok, with United States President Joe Biden poised to sign a plan that could see its outlawing as early as next week. The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously introduced and passed the legislation on March 8, emphasizing national security concerns stemming from TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Amid escalating worries in Washington about safeguarding Americans’ data from Chinese control, the proposed legislation, titled the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, mandates ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok within six months or face expulsion from the U.S. market. Not limited to TikTok alone, the legislation also aims at other applications controlled by foreign adversaries like China, Iran, Russia, or North Korea, perceived to threaten national security. President Biden affirmed his willingness to sign the legislation, stating on March 8, “If they pass it, I’ll sign it.”
In a surprising turn of events amidst discussions surrounding a potential TikTok ban, Kevin O’Leary, a prominent investor known for his appearances on Shark Tank, suggested during an interview with Fox News about the possibility of acquiring the popular social media platform, confidently asserting, “Not going to get banned, ’cause I’m gonna buy it.”
Despite TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew repeatedly denying any association between the app and the CCP in Senate hearings, TikTok issued a firm statement to CNBC on March 8 denouncing the move, accusing the government of attempting to curtail the Constitutional right to free expression of 170 million Americans. He argued that ”such action would not only harm numerous businesses but also deprive artists of their audience and jeopardize the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”
Allegations have been levelled against Beijing by Washington, accusing the former of exploiting data from 170 million U.S. citizens on TikTok to propagate misinformation and propaganda campaigns. The U.S. government suspects that Chinese national security laws, enforced by an authoritarian regime, compel organizations like ByteDance to aid in intelligence gathering. Both, the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have cautioned that ByteDance might share user data such as search history, location, and biometric identifiers. Besides security concerns, lawmakers argue that TikTok suppresses content unfavourable to Beijing.
Joining the chorus of condemnation against the social media platform, Italy’s data protection authority announced on March 9 an immediate block on TikTok’s access to data for users whose age remains unverified. This decision came in response to the tragic death of a 10-year-old girl in Sicily, who participated in a blackout challenge on the Chinese-owned app. The data protection authority had previously issued a stern warning to TikTok in December 2023 for its lax restrictions on minors joining the app, lack of transparency, and use of automatic settings that disregarded privacy. In their statement, they emphasized,” the necessity of immediate action to safeguard minors registered on the platform while awaiting TikTok’s response.”
The legislation, championed by Rep. Mike Gallagher and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, faces opposition from former U.S. President and Republican Donald Trump, who objects to the TikTok ban. Trump, in a social media post, argued that banning TikTok would inadvertently bolster the position of rival platform Facebook, allowing it to ‘double their business,’ a scenario he wishes to avoid. This opposition from Trump is unexpected, considering his earlier intentions, towards the end of his presidency, to ban TikTok and another popular app, WeChat, actions he later rescinded.
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The Michelin brothers created the guide, which included information like maps, car mechanics listings, hotels and petrol stations across France to spur demand.
The guide began to award stars to fine dining restaurants in 1926.
At first, they offered just one star, the concept was expanded in 1931 to include one, two and three stars. One star establishments represent a “very good restaurant in its category”. Two honour “excellent cooking, worth a detour” and three reward “exceptional cuisine, worth a
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China’s Global Lending Lures Countries Into a Debt Trap
By Polygraph.info Lin Ming Spokesperson of China International Development Cooperation Agency “No country has fallen into debt difficulties because of cooperation with China.” Source: X, Global Times, April 18, 2024 (FALSE) Earlier this month, the head of the Read more