The White House announced a deal was reached to separate TikTok in the US from its parent company ByteDance over 8 months after the original deadline for such a divestment.
Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, issued this statement in response:
“While the initial reaction may be that such an approach can balance the free speech and national security concerns, the deal raises significant questions about the government’s role in business and the potential speech impact.
The arrangement creates uncertainty about what influence or oversight the US government might require over this separate algorithm that could raise potential First Amendment concerns regarding government influence over a private actor. The government’s involvement in the overall business decisions and comments indicating it could seek a potential cut of the deal could also set a concerning precedent.
While a transaction may resolve many issues, it could also create new ones. We must also remember the underlying law that required this transaction could be invoked in the future with other companies and again give rise to concerns about the many unresolved tensions between various rights and national security claims.”
Please contact Madison if you have any questions: mmiller@cato.org
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