In seeking to restrict access to a specific social media platform, the bill risks violating Americans' First Amendment rights to free speech, the ACLU said.
WASHINGTON — A powerful House committee is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would make it easier to ban TikTok from the United States and crack down on other China-related economic activity, amid vocal objections from civil liberties advocates who argue the proposal is unconstitutionally broad and threatens a wide range of online speech.
Sanctions would also be required if the Biden administration finds the companies helped the Chinese government engage in surveillance, hacking, censorship or intelligence-gathering; facilitated election meddling in the United States or in another democratic ally; or helped the Chinese government influence US policymaking, among other things.
The legislation reflects US lawmakers' urgency amid fears that TikTok or ByteDance could be pressured by the Chinese government to hand over the personal information of its US users. US officials have said that the data could benefit China by facilitating targeted misinformation campaigns or by providing it with intelligence targets.
The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday blasted the legislation as"vague and overbroad," and accused lawmakers of rushing the bill to a committee vote within days of its introduction without holding a hearing on the proposal.
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