Politics
The senator aims to extend the nationwide TikTok ban’s deadline by 270 days.
Mass. Senator Ed Markey has introduced a bill to extend the TikTok ban’s deadline. Courtesy AP/Alex Brandon
Less than a week before TikTok is set to be banned nationwide, Senator Ed Markey announced the introduction of a bill that would extend the deadline by 270 days, his office said in a statement.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act has marked Jan. 19 as the deadline by which ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, must sell TikTok or face a ban.
In collaboration with Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker and Representative Ro Khanna, Markey has brought forth the Extended the TikTok Deadline Act.
Markey spoke on the Senate floor and live on TikTok about the consequences of the impending ban.
“The TikTok ban was rushed through without sufficient consideration of the profound consequences it would have on the 170 million Americans who use the platform,” Senator Markey said. “Today, TikTok is a space where users share critical resources during emergencies such as the Los Angeles wildfires, earn money to cover groceries and medical care, and build community in challenging times.”
Along with Senator Rand Paul, Markey and Khanna submitted a amicus brief Jan. 9 urging the United States Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision to uphold the TikTok ban in TikTok Inc. v. Garland. The legislators argued in the brief that the ban directly conflicts with the First Amendment and undermines the rights of more than 170 million Americans who use the platform, according to a statement from Markey’s press office.
In his Jan. 13 remarks, Markey said that he plans to address the “serious risk to the privacy and mental health of our young people” that TikTok poses. However, he said that banning the app would have a negative effect on Americans and would not effectively resolve these issues.
“I will continue to hold TikTok accountable for such behavior,” Markey said. “But a TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen.”
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