Shou Chew, the CEO of communist China’s TikTok, responded to the House of Representatives passing legislation that could ban the Chinese app in the United States unless Chinese tech giant ByteDance sells the social media platform within six months. “Protect your constitutional rights,” Chew ironically told U.S. TikTok users.
“I just wanted to share some thoughts with our U.S. users about the disappointing vote in the House of Representatives,” Chew said in a video posted to TikTok.
Watch Below:
Our CEO Shou Chew’s response to the TikTok ban bill: pic.twitter.com/7AnDYOLD96
— TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) March 13, 2024
“This legislation, if signed into law, will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States,” the TikTok CEO continued.
“We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” Chew added. “We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you. We believe we can overcome this together.”
Chew, who is the CEO of a social media platform widely considered by U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to be a national security threat — an app that has also been a physical danger to U.S. children and teens — then ironically urged Americans to “protect” their “constitutional rights.”
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: The TikTok logo is displayed outside a TikTok office on December 20, 2022 in Culver City, California. Congress is pushing legislation to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app from most government devices. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“I encourage you to keep sharing your stories, share them with your friends, share them with your family, share them with your senators. Protect your constitutional rights. Make your voices heard,” Chew said.
As Breitbart News reported, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan legislation on Wednesday. The bill will now make its way over to the Senate.
Notably, there is a real possibility that the Senate will push the legislation forward President Joe Biden’s desk, given the bipartisan nature of the issue. Moreover, Biden has already said would sign the bill into law.
Meanwhile, potential U.S. buyers are beginning to swarm.
Earlier this week it was revealed that former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has been pitching potential investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, to purchase TikTok from ByteDance, which is beholden to the Chinese Communist regime.
On Thursday, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that he, too, is building an investor group in an effort to buy the Chinese app.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X/Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.