Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has come out to condemn the banning of TikTok in the United States, even if it would mean less competition for his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, as the initiative sees fresh bipartisan momentum in Congress.
On Saturday (Today), the US House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would have required TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or risk being banned worldwide.
With the enthusiastic backing of many Democrats and Republicans, the bill has a better chance of passing both chambers of the US Congress because it is part of a larger aid package for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine.
“TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the X platform,” Musk said in a post on the social network he acquired in 2022.
“Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression.”
A number of replies to Musk’s comment on X expressed concern that a TikTok ban would set a precedent that could be used to target other social media and messaging services.
Read Also: Elon Musk Considers Removing Likes, Reposts from X Platform
Under the bill, ByteDance would have to sell the app within a few months or be excluded from Apple and Google’s app stores in the United States.
It would also give the US president the authority to designate other applications as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country deemed hostile.
TikTok slammed the bill, saying it would hurt the US economy and undermine free speech.
“It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill,” a company spokesman said.
He added a ban would “trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy annually.”
Western officials have voiced alarm over the popularity of TikTok with young people, alleging that it is subservient to Beijing and a conduit to spread propaganda, claims denied by the company and Beijing.
Joe Biden reiterated his concerns about TikTok during a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in early April.
The House of Representatives last month approved a similar bill cracking down on TikTok, but the measure got held up in the Senate.