TikTok might be public enemy number one on Capitol Hill but other platforms are in the line of fire

The bill is designed to get rid of lawmakers’ public enemy number o

ByteDance

The bill heading to the Senate could ban an app that has certain characteristics including a large following, demand that subscribers create an online profile to share content, and be “controlled by a foreign adversary.” This control could simply mean that an app is “subject to the direction or control” of someone in Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran. A broad reading of the bill could mean that “X” might be banned since it accepted money from the terrorist group Hamas for blue verification checkmarks while posting misinformation.

Evan Brown, a Chicago-based tech lawyer says, “There’s plenty of room here for creative interpretation for how someone could be in a foreign country calling the shots without being an owner. The President really has the unchecked power to put another app on this list.” The bill can ban apps with as few as one million monthly users.

Make no mistake about it, ByteDance/TikTok is public enemy number one and is the main target of the bill. But most lawmakers have no love for social media apps like Facebook and “X.” So if other platforms get killed off, well, it is just collateral damage and nothing that those on Capitol Hill will lose sleep over.