517According to foreign media reports, on the morning of March 13, the US House of Representatives voted on the requirement for ByteDance to divest Tuke. Support votes vs. opposition votes, the result was 352:65, and the bill was passed by a majority:“Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act”.
This bill is completely targeted at Tuke, because if ByteDance does not divest Tuke within 5 months after the bill takes effect, Tuke will face a “total ban in the US,” meaning it will be prohibited from entering US app stores and web hosting services.
Insiders revealed that if the US successfully legislates to force ByteDance to divest Tuke, the app company intends to exhaust all possible legal challenges. Selling Tuke is considered ByteDance’s last resort. It was also revealed that whether Tuke will launch comprehensive legal action is not yet decided and depends on the progress of the legislation.
The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” is a bill that reeks of barbarism and arrogance, and was in fact proposed quite hastily, without lengthy deliberation. It was passed by the full House less than a week after being proposed by the top members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), showing a sense of urgency.
Supporters of the bill believe that ByteDance may share sensitive data of US users with the Chinese government, so the bill is needed to curb the national security threat posed by ByteDance.
However, some opposing members of Congress wrote,“As the only member of Congress banned from using social media, I oppose today’s Tuke ban bill. This bill will open Pandora’s box, creating a slippery slope for future government censorship of Americans and our precious First Amendment.” (from Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene)
Facing baseless accusations from supporters, Tuke immediately refuted and strongly opposed the legislation.
A Tuke spokesperson stated:“This process is secret, and there is only one reason for passing this bill: a ban. We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to voters, and recognize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and 170 million Americans who use our software services.”
Whether the US realizes the impact behind the Tuke ban incident is unknown, but as the event continues to ferment, it has indeed caused a huge stir across the country, with a large number of American users expressing strong protest.
In response, a Tuke influencer with 2.5 million followers spoke out angrily:
“The only thing all 535 members of Congress can agree on is banning Tuke, is that it? Can’t the federal government agree to raise the minimum wage? I hear them say they want to keep prescription drug prices as low as possible for people! I hear them disagree on border issues, and they can’t even agree on where the US border is!”
“But when it comes to banning Tuke, ‘Line up, guys, bring the bipartisan Zuckerberg and Gates money here, line up in our halls and let us eat it. I’ll protect your privacy by banning Tuke!’”
This impassioned speech wasfull of sarcasm, mercilessly mocking the government for ignoring so many issues related to ordinary people’s livelihoods, unable to reach consensus on those, yet achieving unprecedented unity on banning Tuke.
Image source: Tuke
Another Tuke influencer with 2.2 million followers also found the matter absurd and ridiculous, pointing out:
“It blatantly infringes on our right to free speech and freedom of expression. They like to say ‘Tuke is weaponizing our First Amendment rights against the government.’ But aren’t you the government? You’re weaponizing your rights above the American people, silencing us.”
“And whether you know the facts or not, whether our information is sent or sold by Tuke to foreign entities, hasn’t Tuke taken measures as required by the government? To prevent any such possibility.”
This statement is quite objective and rational, saying Tuke is operating according to US law, but still not satisfied. The influencer also pointed out,even if Tuke is banned, our 170 million Tuke users will still express their opinions on other platforms, and that will not change. (Hinting: don’t think you can silence us)
Image source: Tuke
Ordinary Tuke users are also full of emotion.
One user pointed out:“While they’re banning Tuke, people are being shot in schools and grocery stores.”
Another user said:“It’s because they don’t profit from it, so they don’t care. They’ll never really help ordinary people.”
Another user made a hell-level joke, saying:“Obviously, Tuke is causing global warming!”
Interestingly, on March 12 local time, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski posted a letter to Tuke CEO Shou Zi Chew on social media. The letter stated:If ByteDance divests Tuke, Rumble intends to join a consortium to seek acquisition and operate Tuke in the US.
However, this statement sparked unanimous skepticism among netizens, questioning how he dares to say that. Even if Tuke is really divested, Rumble is not capable of acquiring it, which seems a bit “overconfident!”
Meanwhile, unexpectedly, Italy also suddenly joined the “fun.”
On March 14, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) issued a penalty decision against Tuke, stating that Tuke failed to implement adequate mechanisms to monitor content posted on the platform, “especially content that may threaten the safety of minors and vulnerable groups.” Therefore, Italy imposed a fine of 10 million euros on three ByteDance companies: Tuke Ireland, Tuke UK, and Tuke Italy.
In response, netizens mocked: “Old traditional skills at play again.”
At 6:45 am Beijing time on March 14, Tuke’s official account released a video of Tuke CEO Shou Zi Chew responding to the Tuke-related bill.
In the video, Shou Zi Chew first thanked Tuke’s US users for their vocal support, then explained that in the past few years, Tuke has been investing to ensure the data security of US users and protect the platform from external manipulation, and will continue to work hard to protect data security in the future.
Then, from the perspective of US users, Shou Zi Chew succinctly pointed out the huge losses and impact if Tuke is banned: “This bill gives a few other social media companies more power, and will take tens of billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses, putting more than 300,000 US jobs at risk and taking away your Tuke.”
“We know how important Tuke is to all of you. It provides a platform for 170 million users to freely express themselves and empowers more than 7 million businesses in the US. Our platform is important for small businesses that rely on Tuke for their livelihoods, for teachers who inspire millions of students, and for people who find happiness on Tuke.”
This sincere statement expressed the feelings of millions of American users. Shou Zi Chew also solemnly promised in the video, “Tuke will not stop fighting and defending for you. We will do everything we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform we have built with you.”
Image source: Tuke official
Currently, although the House has passed the Tuke ban bill, according to the latest news from Bloomberg, both parties in the US Senate have abandoned the idea of advancing the “sell or ban” Tuke bill, reducing the possibility of the proposal becoming law.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut claimed that he does not oppose eliminating Tuke’s influence, but warned that the six-month sale period given by the proposal is too rushed.
This Senate statement has slightly eased Tuke’s severe situation in the US, but before everything is truly settled, the final result is still unknown.
But we believe that if the US continues its “bullying suppression,” they will ultimately pay the price. Tuke will also take up legal weapons to defend its own and 170 million US Tuke users’ legitimate rights.
Hopefully, it won’t come to this, otherwise it will be a loss for the whole US! It will cause many Americans who rely on Tuke for their livelihoods and experience the beauty of the world through Tuke to lose an important “home” for life and spirit!
As for future developments, Tuke will continue to follow up.
