TikTok is urging its users to join the effort to prevent Congress from banning the app in the U.S.
“Congress is planning a total ban of TikTok,” which could result in the “[stripping] of 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression,” read a warning post on Wednesday.
The notification warns that a ban would “damage millions of businesses, destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country, and deny artists an audience.”
It also provided a method for users to locate their representative and call their office.
The alert comes after the White House endorsed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a bill addressing security concerns related to TikTok, which ByteDance owns.
The bill proposes that TikTok be separated from ByteDance or face removal from US app stores.
Over the years, several Congressional attempts to ban the app have been made, along with city and state governments prohibiting TikTok on government devices. Montana notably became the first state to ban the app last year.
If the new bill is passed, it could violate the First Amendment, leading to potential legal challenges, as argued by the American Civil Liberties Union.
