Even the lawmakers behind the TikTok ban have no idea what’s going on
TL;DR
Lawmakers who pushed for the TikTok ban expressed extreme concerns, comparing it to Cold War-era propaganda, but the process was chaotic and poorly understood.
Less than two years ago, TikTok was a crisis situation on Capitol Hill. The chair of the House Select Committee on China called it "digital fentanyl" that brainwashes young Americans into supporting Hamas. A former national security adviser said letting TikTok remain in the US under its Chinese owner "would be akin to allowing Soviet control of several major American newspapers and TV channels during the Cold War." Lawmakers left classified national security briefings about TikTok sharing grave concerns. All of it culminated in the surprise frenzy of a bipartisan bill forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban, wh …