Bentz, Chavez-DeRemer vote for potential TikTok ban; C.O. users who profit from videos concerned about app’s future

(Update: adding video comments from local TikTokkers)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Reps. Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer voted with the strong House majority Wednesday to require that the popular social media app TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, be required to sell the app to a U.S. company or that the app be banned from being distributed in the U.S.

The bill passed by a vote of 352 to 65.

Bend TikTok video creator Alyssa Segrist (@thecelestialmom), expressed concern about the possible ban.

"Creators like me, and small businesses nationwide will lose their voice -- an income that keeps their businesses thriving and pays their bills," Segrist said Wednesday.

Segrist has been creating videos on the platform since she was 16 and has over 350,000 followers. Now 24 years old, she worries a ban could mean losing the community she worked so hard to build.

"I started thinking, 'But what about my followers who don't really have anyone else to turn to?' Because there's other creators that do the same thing as I do surrounding dental health conditions. Their platform will be taken away as well. So where will those people go for that support?" Segrist said.

She says Tik Tok is her only source of income right now. She's been applying for stay-at-home positions, but hasn't heard back.

"My car broke down, so now I don't have any other option but to post on TikTok and hope for the best." Segrist said.

Stephanie Von Aydan (@stephanievonaydan) is another local active TikTokker whose content focuses on comedy and social justice. She also says the app is a source of her income, and she has close to 200,000 followers.

"We're losing our followers, we're losing our monetization, we're also losing the community that we individually built ourselves," Von Aydan said. "And it's people that, you know, relate to us, or that follow us or that look to us."

The bill now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. President Biden has said he would sign the legislation, but its passage is not guaranteed.

It if becomes law as now written, ByteDance would then have 165 days (six months) to divest itself of TikTok.

Among Oregon's four House Democrats, Earl Blumenauer and Andrea Salinas also voted for the bill, while Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle voted against its.

Here is Bentz's news release:

Bentz Votes To Protect American Citizens From Apps Controlled By Foreign Adversaries

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR) joined 197 of his Republican and 155 of his Democrat colleagues voting in support of H.R. 7521, The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting American national security against the threats posed by social media applications controlled by foreign adversary governments. This bill, introduced by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a rare unanimous vote of 50-0.

"It is paramount that we take action to protect Americans from potential surveillance, data breaches, and targeted political messaging orchestrated by apps being controlled by adversarial foreign powers like the People's Republic of China," Congressman Bentz stated. "This bill provides a critical framework to safeguard our national security interests while minimizing disruptions to users and businesses."

Background on H.R. 7521:

H.R. 7521 addresses the urgent need to safeguard Americans and promotes U.S. national security by prohibiting marketplaces like app stores and web hosting services from hosting applications controlled by foreign adversaries, including the PRC, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Specifically, the Act empowers the President to require divestment of applications controlled by covered companies controlled by foreign adversaries or face a prohibition on app store availability and web hosting services in the United States.

Myth Vs. Fact (Heritage Action for America):

Myth: This bill would ban TikTok.

FACT: The bill gives TikTok a choice: either its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, must divest its ownership and sell the application to a non-Chinese, non-Russian, non-Iranian, or non-North Korean buyer, or the app will face restrictions on its availability in U.S. app stores, such as those operated by Google or Apple. Access to the app would only be disrupted if ByteDance refuses to comply with the divestiture requirement.

More Myths vs Facts can be found HERE.

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Statement to NewsChannel 21 from Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer:

“Congress has received classified briefings that have made TikTok’s national security threat clear, and that’s reflected in the overwhelming bipartisan support this bill received in both committee and on the House floor. To be clear, the bill I voted for today does not ban the app – it requires apps controlled by foreign adversaries, which is the case with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and China, to divest so they are no longer controlled by countries that pose significant national security risks. This is the right thing to do for our country and Americans’ security and privacy. To anyone frustrated with this bill: Ask TikTok to do the right thing and sever its ties with the Chinese Communist Party.” – Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer