TikTok, Congress, and Digital Battles in Geopolitics

The die has been cast.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to force the divestiture of social media platform TikTok from its current ownership, sever ties with China, or face a ban in the United States.

The U.S. Senate reportedly wants to take its time with the legislation — a bill that President Joe Biden already indicated he would sign into law if it passes both houses of Congress.

It is a messy proposition — federal policymakers potentially compelling a private tech entity to sell itself to a domestic buyer or be removed from the American market. Content creators and users of TikTok have decried the move, which has bipartisan support at a time of deep political divisiveness.

Potential buyers who step up may have their own political agendas to push via TikTok. Watchdogs want to know why such measures were not taken with other social media platforms, especially after they were caught influencing public behavior.

Senior Writer Shane Snider joins this episode of DOS Won’t Hunt for a discussion of the forces at play and potential repercussions of the battle over TikTok.

Listen to the full podcast here.