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☆ Article 23: Hong Kong passes second national security law aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Coming into effect on Saturday, the law introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests the year before. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lee described it as a “historical moment for Hong Kong.”Lawmakers attend a meeting for Basic Law Article 23 legislation at the Legislative Council on March 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. They argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world. “This will surely increase the doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.”In mainland China, national security laws have often ensnared both local and foreign businesses in opaque investigations. That is something Emily Lau, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, also worries about, that what made Hong Kong distinct is fast fading.

Persons: –, John Lee, Hong, Lee, Chen Yongnuo, ”, Hong Kong’s, Eric Lai, Lai, ” Lai, Hung Ho, fung, Capvision, Sarah Brooks, “, ” Brooks, ” Johannes Hack, Emily Lau, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, ” Lawmakers, Legislative, China News Service, China’s Communist Party, CNN, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Johns Hopkins University, Amnesty International, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, Beijing, China, Amnesty International China, ”, Hong

☆ China's military, state media slam U.S. after report on SpaceX spy satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. A social media account run by the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, said the SpaceX program exposed the United States' "shamelessness and double standards" as Washington accuses Chinese tech companies of threatening U.S. security. "We urge U.S. companies to not help a villain do evil," Junzhengping, an account run by the PLA, posted on social media platform Weibo on Sunday. Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, a magazine overseen by the ruling Communist Party, was quoted in an interview as saying the SpaceX satellite project posed "a challenge to global security and stability".

Persons: Elon, SpaceX's, Wang Yanan Organizations: Reuters, SpaceX, National Reconnaissance Office, NRO, People's Liberation Army, PLA, U.S ., Aerospace, Communist Party Locations: United States, Washington, U.S, Weibo

☆ A Russian district called an election recount after someone else got more votes than Putin, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A recount is underway in one Russian district after a Putin rival was recorded as having won more votes, per reports. AdvertisementAn election recount is underway in one Russian district after President Vladimir Putin failed to win the vote there, according to local reports. In fact, one of Putin's political rivals in the recent presidential election was recorded as gaining 10 times as many votes, reports said. Asked by the BBC ahead of the elections why he would be a better candidate than Putin, Kharitonov said: "It's not for me to say," adding: "That wouldn't be right." The reported vote recount wasn't the only reason Barnaul made the news.

Persons: Putin, Nikolai Kharitonov, —, Vladimir Putin, Meduza, effusively, ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Kharitonov, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Barnaul Organizations: Service, Communist Party, Kharitonov, Business, Russia's Central, BBC Locations: Barnaul, Altai, Ukraine, Russia's

☆ TikTok: Is it really Chinese?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Is TikTok Chinese? In March 2023, CEO Chew was repeatedly pressed by US lawmakers on whether TikTok was Chinese. According to TikTok’s own website, its subsidiaries around the world are all structured under Bytedance Ltd.Is ByteDance Chinese? At last year’s congressional hearing, Chew didn’t directly answer any questions about whether ByteDance is a Chinese company either. That means the Chinese government now owns 1% of Beijing Douyin Information Service, which is the domestic Chinese unit of Bytedance.

Persons: TikTok, Shou Chew, Trump, Chew, Jose Luis Magana, Musical.ly, TikTok’s, ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, Liang Rubo, Zhang, Liang, Jinri, Chew didn’t, Shannon Stapleton, Zhang Fuping, Xi Jinping, Wu Shugang, Shu Yuting Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, TikTok LLC, TikTok Ltd, ByteDance Ltd, Bytedance Ltd, Tianjin’s Nankai University, ByteDance, Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, Susquehanna International Group, Reuters, Communist, Cyberspace Administration, Beijing Douyin Information Service, Chinese Communist Party, National Intelligence Law, Commerce Ministry Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, California, Los Angles, Singapore, Delaware, Culver City , California, Cayman Islands, Shanghai, Chinese, TikTok

☆ Cuba sees rare protests amid power cuts and food shortages
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Patrick Oppmann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Demonstrators took to the streets in at least four cities on Sunday to complain about hours-long power cuts and increasing food scarcity. The island has seen frequent power cuts and shortages of food, fuel, and medicine since the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting Cubans to flee to the United States in record numbers. US diplomats said Sunday they were monitoring the protests and called on the Cuban government to listen to the demonstrators. The Cuban government, which typically does not allow organized dissent, did not say how many protesters had been arrested. After island-wide demonstrations in the summer of 2021, more than 1,000 Cubans were put on trial and convicted of rising up against the communist-run government, according to human rights groups.

Persons: Miguel Diaz, Canel, Fidel Castro’s, Diaz Organizations: CNN, Cuban, country’s Communist Party, Twitter Locations: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, United States, Miami’s, Cuban, Havana

☆ They voted for the bill that could ban TikTok. They also actively use the app.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Jackson is not the only House representative who has both taken advantage of the popular app and voted for the bill that could ban it. Some of these representatives actively use the app to boost their campaigns, while others use it for office communications. Some members who voted in favor of the bill believe the US should be able to regulate the technology. The question of a banA few of the representatives who voted in favor of the bill have emphasized that it is not meant to be a ban of TikTok. Just being as transparent and accountable as we possibly can.”The Democratic congressman said if TikTok is banned, he will continue to use the social media platforms that aren’t banned, but said, “I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen here.”“It’s really a sell TikTok, not ban TikTok bill.

Persons: Jeff Jackson, “, Marisa, Biden, Alabama Sen, Katie Britt, Jackson, unfollow, Colin Allred, Adam Schiff of California, Elissa Slotkin, ” Jackson, TikTok, “ I’ve, ”, Republican Dan Bishop, snoop, Bill Pascrell, Schiff, ” Schiff, Joe Biden, ” Allred, Sen, Ted Cruz, Slotkin, “ I’m, ” Slotkin, Debbie Stabenow, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Annie Wu Henry, John Fetterman’s, ” Henry, Sean Casten, Greg Landsman, Wiley Nickel, Pascrell, Melanie Stansbury, Landsman, Henry Organizations: CNN — Democratic, Union, North Carolina Democrat, Democratic, Republican, ”, Communist, California Senate, Senate, Constituent, CNN Locations: North, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Beijing, New Jersey, United States, California, TikTok, ”, Illinois, Ohio, New Mexico

☆ White House urges Senate to 'move swiftly' on TikTok bill as lawmakers drag their heels
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

White House national security adviser John Kirby said Sunday that the Senate should swiftly advance a bill that would force Chinese technology company ByteDance to sell TikTok. The bill passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill passed in a 352-65 House vote on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has made clear that he is in no rush on the TikTok bill. The TikTok bill has also sparked debate outside of Capitol Hill.

Persons: John Kirby, We're, Kirby, Joe Biden, Mike, Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Bill Cassidy, Ben Cardin, Cardin, Donald Trump, Trump, Mike Pence, Pence Organizations: Foreign, Capitol, White House, Chinese Communist Party, Senate, U.S, Wisconsin Republican, CBS, Press, GOP, Facebook Locations: Washington , U.S, American, China, U.S, D, Capitol Hill, TikTok

☆ TikTok debate reveals the risks for investing in China during U.S. election year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The debate over whether Chinese-owned TikTok can operate in the U.S. is back with fervor, revealing more about the risk for Chinese stocks in a U.S. presidential election year. Such considerations motivated Goldman Sachs analysts to update their model for measuring the level of risk from U.S.-China tensions in Chinese stocks. Their barometer, created in 2020, "has correlated well with the U.S.-China events timeline, and China equity performance," the analysts said. Goldman's revised U.S.-China tensions barometer stands at a modest 53 out of 100, indicating a "somewhat benign" outlook for the bilateral relationship. But as the TikTok bill now makes its way to the Senate, many analysts expect its momentum to slow.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman's, It's, Raymond James, That's, Steven Mnuchin, CNBC's, Mnuchin, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Goldman, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: U.S ., Goldman, U.S, Chinese Communist Party, IMEIK Technology, Postal Savings Bank Locations: U.S, China, Beijing

☆ Australia Wanted to Catch Chinese Spies. Is This Really Whom It Had in Mind?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The police officers asked the man what he meant when he said that involving an Australian government minister in a charity event could benefit “us Chinese.” Was he talking about mainland China and the Chinese Communist Party, or the local Australian Chinese community? Depending on the answer, he faced up to 10 years in prison. “You are understanding the Chinese is China. We always say, ‘I’m Chinese,’ that not mean, ‘I’m mainland China,’” said the man, Di Sanh “Sunny” Duong, who was brought in for questioning. Blockbuster prosecutions revealing sophisticated tactics seemed to be just around the corner.

Persons: ”, ’ ”, Di, Duong, “ Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Blockbuster Locations: China, Mainland China, United States

☆ Congress may be going after the wrong social network
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Chew, meanwhile, clapped back, “American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security. But if lawmakers were serious about protecting the digital data of millions of American social media users, targeting TikTok alone is a limited way to achieve this goal. Separately, US intelligence authorities have said that Russian operatives were able to exploit US-based social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter as part of an election meddling campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential vote. Sherman said he thinks some lawmakers are raising important national security concerns regarding TikTok. Ultimately, Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, called the bill a “missed opportunity” for Congress to take real action regarding their concerns about US user data.

☆ Trump authorized the CIA to smear the Chinese government with fake social media accounts: Reuters
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Then-President Donald Trump authorized a CIA influence campaign on China, Reuters reported. The CIA used fake social media accounts to push unfavorable narratives about the Chinese government. AdvertisementThen-President Donald Trump authorized a CIA operation to discredit the Chinese government on social media while he was in office, Reuters reported on Thursday. The CIA began the operation in 2019, creating fake Chinese social media accounts to push narratives that would discredit the Chinese government, Reuters reported, citing three former officials it spoke to. Representatives for Trump, the CIA, and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Xi, Trump Organizations: CIA, Reuters, Service, Chinese Communist Party, Initiative, GOP, Democratic Party, Trump, Business Insider Locations: China, Russia, Beijing

☆ Russians vote in an election that Putin will win, but the Kremlin is looking for a landslide victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesThere are no surprises over who will win Russia's presidential election this coming weekend with incumbent, Vladimir Putin, set to win a fifth term in office, keeping him in power until at least 2030. The heavily stage-managed vote taking place from Friday to Sunday is not expected to throw up any nasty surprises for the Kremlin which told CNBC months ago that it was confident Putin would win the vote comfortably. That's particularly the case in a country where Russian opposition figures are not represented on the ballot paper or in mainstream politics, with most activists having fled the country. "According to official data, Putin received 77.5% of valid votes in the 2018 presidential election that saw a turnout of 67.5%. Russian opposition activists, most in self-imposed exile in order to evade arrest, imprisonment or attack, have also condemned the election.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Putin, That's, Alexei Navalny, there's, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolay Kharitonov, Russia's, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Andrei Kolesnikov, —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Andreas Tursa, Russian Federation's, Yulia Navalnaya, Dmitrii, we're Organizations: Kremlin, CNBC, New People, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, Russia's, Commission, Levada, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Putin, Teneo, Russian Democratic Society, Festival Locations: Kremlin, Ukraine, Russia, Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Kyiv, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, London, Sirius, Sochi, Stavropolsky Krai, Krasnodar Krai

☆ Who will buy TikTok from ByteDance?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

At $100 billion, there are few companies that could afford to buy TikTok outright. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal wrote that Kotick “floated the idea of partnering to buy TikTok to a table of people that included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.”CNN couldn’t independently confirm the report. Its one go at the social media scene, the buggy and short-lived Ping, was one of Apple’s biggest flops. And any tech executive or private equity investor thinking of buying TikTok would need to be prepared to enter the social media quagmire. A key question in assessing the value of a TikTok deal is whether China would allow ByteDance to export its algorithm — the secret sauce that keeps TikTok users glued to their phones.

Persons: CNN Business ’, There’s, Joe Biden’s, who’d, Dan Ives, ” Ives, Who’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, OpenAi, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard, “, Sam Altman, ” CNN couldn’t, Altman didn’t, doesn’t, quagmire, They’d, Mark Zuckerberg, Shou Chew, It’s, Trump, —, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Senate, Microsoft, Department, Google, ” Meta, Facebook, Street Journal, Activision, ” CNN, Kotick, Apple, Oracle, Walmart, Communist Party, ByteDance Locations: New York, United States, Beijing, Europe, China

☆ The U.S. wants ByteDance to sell TikTok. China is almost certainly going to refuse
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Visitors are visiting TikTok's stand at the Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai, China, on April 27, 2023. CostFoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesThe U.S. could be about to force ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant that owns TikTok, to divest its U.S. business or effectively ban the app. But a sale looks unlikely — not least because China is expected to block it. Last year, the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) told ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban. TikTok algorithm at the centerWhat complicates a sale further is TikTok's algorithm.

Persons: ByteDance, Paul Triolo, Albright Stonebridge, CNBC's, Wang Wenbin, Shu Jueting, CFIUS, China's Shu, Triolo, Richard Windsor Organizations: Appliance, Electronics, Nurphoto, Senate, Washington, Lawmakers, Chinese Communist Party, TikTok's, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NBC, U.S ., Foreign Investment, China's Ministry of Commerce, Radio Free Mobile, TikTok Locations: Shanghai, China, United States, TikTok, U.S, ByteDance, TikTok USA, USA

☆ Putin is coasting towards another term in power. Here’s what to know about Russia’s presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russia is holding a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule throughout this decade and into the 2030s. But this is not a normal election; the poll is essentially a constitutional box-ticking exercise that carries no prospect of removing Putin from power. But that is not to say Russians expect the election to change the direction of the country. Russia’s elections are neither free nor fair, and serve essentially as a formality to extend Putin’s term in power, according to independent bodies and observers both in and outside the country. In order to vote against Putin, you just need to vote for any other candidate,” he said on February 8.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Natalia Kolesnikova, Joseph Stalin, Putin’s, Dmitry Medvedev, euphemistically, —, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, ”, Callum Fraser, Nikolay Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Boris Nadezhdin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova, Leonid Volkov, Volkov, Stringer, Alexey Navalny –, –, Yulia Navalnaya, “, “ Putin, Don’t, Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, Russian, Duma, Getty, Levada, Central, Commission, Royal United Services Institute, Communist Party, Slutsky, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Kremlin, CEC, Freedom, Putin, European Union, Foreign Affairs Locations: Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Soviet, Lithuanian, Vilnius, Chechen, Grozny, Moscow, Russian

☆ Russia presidential election: Putin set to sweep to fifth term in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved only three candidates to oppose Putin: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party. “A vote for Slutsky and LDPR is absolutely not a vote against Putin,” he said. Although the ruling United Russia party has declared its “full support” for the president, Putin is running as an independent candidate, placing himself above party politics. A local election commission member prepares a polling station for early voting in the Republic of Karelia, March 10, 2024. Polls are set to open in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka at 8 a.m. local time on Friday (4 p.m.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolay Kharitonov, Slutsky, “, ”, Stringer, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny “, Navalny, “ Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Don’t, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Commission, Liberal Democratic Party, New People Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, United, Getty, CEC, Russian Security Service, The New York Times, TASS, Russia Locations: Alaska, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, United Russia, AFP, Moscow, Republic of Karelia, Avdiivka, Russia’s, Kamchatka

WASHINGTON (AP) — If some U.S. lawmakers have their way, the United States and China could end up with something in common: TikTok might not be available in either country. But while U.S. lawmakers associate TikTok with China, the company, headquartered outside China, has strategically kept its distance from its homeland. Since its inception, the TikTok platform has been intended for non-Chinese markets and is unavailable in mainland China. Some have insisted they be called “global companies” instead of “Chinese companies.”But for TikTok, this may not be enough. “America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States.

Persons: TikTok, Joe Biden, Zhiqun Zhu, ” Zhu, Alex Capri, Hinrich, ” Capri, Capri, Zhang Yiming, Mike Gallagher, ”, Gallagher, “, Sen, Tom Cotton, Shou Zi Chew, beholden, Chew, Nancy Pelosi, ” Chew, Thomas Zhang, Zhang, It's, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: WASHINGTON, Bucknell University, “, National University of Singapore, Hinrich Foundation, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Communist, Wired, Republicans Locations: United States, China, Beijing, Hong Kong, U.S, Washington, there's, Chinese, Chew

Hong Kong/Beijing CNN —China has described a potential TikTok ban as “an act of bullying” that would backfire on America. Cybersecurity experts say that the national security concerns surrounding TikTok remain a hypothetical — albeit troubling — scenario. US officials have not publicly presented evidence that the Chinese government has accessed the user data of US TikTok users, an outcome that lawmakers say their bill is intended to prevent. In recent comments to reporters, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs a House select committee on China, rejected characterizations of the bill as a TikTok ban. “It puts the choice squarely in the hands of TikTok to sever their relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.

Persons: ByteDance, ” Wang Wenbin, Wang, ”, Mike Gallagher, “ It’s, TikTok, “, Tiktok Organizations: Beijing CNN, CNN Wednesday, Senate, Wisconsin Republican, Chinese Communist Party, Weibo Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, America, American, tatters

☆ Nongfu Spring: Bottled water empire of China’s richest man Zhong Shanshan is facing a boycott by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Zhong and his drinks firm Nongfu Spring, the country’s biggest maker of bottled water, are the latest targets of an army of internet zealots. WeiboThe nationalists have also highlighted the fact that prominent US investment funds, including Vanguard and BlackRock, are major shareholders of Nongfu Spring. “Taking advantage of Mr Zong’s death, a lot of slander against me and Nongfu Spring appeared on the internet. “Whether Wahaha or Nongfu Spring, we always insist on the same thing — producing good products for the people,” he said. Nongfu Spring is just the latest major target of China’s nationalists.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhong Shanshan, Zhong, Zong Qinghou, Zong, Zhong’s, —, “ Zhong Shuzi, ”, “, He’s, Mr Zong’s, ” Zhong, influencers, netizens, “ Zong, Wei Jiang, Mo Yan, Mao Zedong, Stringer, Li Ning Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Wahaha, Danone, Weibo, ”, Vanguard, BlackRock, Nongfu, American, Wahaha’s, CNN, Zhejiang Daily, Communist Party, Auto, Zhejiang University of Finance, Economics, People’s Liberation Army, AFP, Getty, Nike, Adidas, United, Toyota, Honda Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, American, Weibo, Nongfu, Zhejiang, Hami, China's, Xinjiang, AFP, United States, Japan

☆ House passes bill that could lead to a TikTok ban; fight shifts to the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The House approved a bill Wednesday that calls for China tech giant ByteDance to divest TikTok or the popular social video app will effectively be banned in the U.S. The measure passed with a resounding 352-65 vote and with one member voting present. Two days later, House members on the Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill, which refers to TikTok as a threat to national security because it is controlled by a foreign adversary. The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future as senators appear divided about the legislation, and other federal and state-led efforts to ban TikTok have stalled. "This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it's a ban," a TikTok spokesperson said after the vote was passed.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean Organizations: U.S, Foreign, Chinese Communist Party, Energy, Commerce, White Locations: China, TikTok

☆ House expected to vote on bill that could ban TikTok amid Trump resistance
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Clare Foran | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok, a major challenge to one of the world’s most popular social media apps. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who support the bill have argued that it is not a ban. In recent comments to reporters, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs a House select committee on China, rejected characterizations of the bill as a TikTok ban. “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” the company wrote in a post on X. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday would not commit to holding a vote on the House’s TikTok bill, underscoring the uncertainty over what will happen if the House passes the bill as expected.

Persons: Donald Trump, equivocated, TikTok, It’s, Joe Biden, Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, ” Trump, “, Mike Gallagher, “ It’s, ”, Shou Chew, Chuck Schumer, CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Morgan Rimmer, Lauren Fox Organizations: TikTok, ByteDance, Apple, Google, House Energy, Commerce Committee, Facebook, CNBC, Lawmakers, Wisconsin Republican, Chinese Communist Party Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United States

☆ U.S. spy chief 'cannot rule out' that China would use TikTok to influence U.S. elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. elections, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday. China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. elections, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday. Asked by Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi if China's ruling Communist Party, or CCP, would use TikTok to influence the elections, Haines said: "We cannot rule out that the CCP would use it." Krishnamoorthi is also the ranking Democrat on the House select committee on China. The House is due to vote on Wednesday under fast-track rules that require two-thirds of members to vote "yes" for the measure to win passage.

Persons: National Intelligence Avril Haines, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Haines, Mike Gallagher, ByteDance, Joe Biden Organizations: National Intelligence, Democratic, Communist Party, CCP, Republican, Senate Locations: China

☆ Should China Own TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, TikTok flooded users with videos expressing extreme positions from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tilted toward the Palestinian side, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. On Monday, the top U.S. intelligence official released a report saying that the Chinese government had used TikTok to promote its propaganda to Americans and to influence the 2022 midterm elections. TikTok is also owned by a company, ByteDance, that’s based in a country that is America’s biggest rival for global power: China. ByteDance executives say that they operate separately from China’s government and that they regularly remove misleading content from TikTok. The most likely scenario, experts say, is that officials aligned with the Chinese government shape TikTok’s algorithm to influence what content Americans see.

Persons: Jeanna Smialek, Jim Tankersley, “, Sapna Maheshwari, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Rutgers University, Rutgers, Communist Party, Soviet NBC Locations: U.S, Tibet, Hong Kong, United States, China, Soviet

☆ China Condemns U.S. Proposal to Force the Sale of TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Meaghan Tobin | More About Meaghan Tobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China on Wednesday condemned U.S. lawmakers’ push to force the Chinese parent company of TikTok to sell the popular short video platform. Lawmakers say that Beijing could use TikTok to spread Chinese Communist Party messages or gain access to sensitive data about TikTok’s American users. Beijing rejected concerns that the app was a danger to the United States. China has opposed previous efforts in the United States to force ByteDance to give up TikTok. The fervor over the House bill is the latest episode in a yearslong saga over the app’s future in the United States.

Persons: TikTok, ”, Wang Wenbin, ByteDance Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Communist Party Locations: China, Washington, Beijing, United States, U.S

☆ Trump undoubtedly controls the GOP, but the TikTok vote shows Republicans won't always follow him in lockstep
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Even Republican House lawmakers, the group that is arguably the most pro-Trump in Congress, defied their de facto leader, who now opposes the bill. There's a lot of good and there's a lot of bad with TikTok. Congressional Republicans have defied Trump before. Even Republican voters have at times defied Trump. The former president has been especially effective in his targeted campaign against the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting the insurrection.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Lara Trump, Wednesday's, TikTok, Jeff Yass, Tom Emmer's speakership, Jim Jordan, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Mike DeWine, Rob Portman, Sen, Sherrod Brown Organizations: Service, Republican Party, Republican National Committee, Republican, Trump, Biden, Chinese Communist Party, CNBC, Facebook, Congressional, GOP, week's Ohio GOP, Ohio Gov, Democrat, Republicans Locations: Congress, ByteDance, Beijing, Yass, week's Ohio

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