TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Reacts To 'Disappointing' Vote And Possible Ban

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew broke his silence after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act on Wednesday.

In a video he shared on TikTok, Chew shared his thoughts and urged users to continue to share their stories with their senators and protect their constitutional rights.

Chew shared a video on TikTok Wednesday night voicing his thoughts for the app's U.S. users. His video has received more than 18 million views, 3.4 million likes, and nearly 89,000 comments in just 12 hours.

"Just wanted to share some thoughts with our U.S. users about the disappointing vote in the House of Representatives," he began his video. "There has been a lot of misinformation and I hope to clarify some things."

After thanking everyone for their continued support saying, "You are what makes TikTok so special," he continued explaining that over the past few years, the company has "invested to keep your data safe and our platform free from outside manipulation."

"This legislation, if signed into law, will lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States," he continued. "Even the bill sponsors admit that that's their goal. This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies. It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk, and it will take away your TikTok."

Chew continued to explain how TikTok has "empowered more than 7 million businesses in the United States" and has given their 170 million users a platform to "freely express themselves."

"Our platform matters to the small business owners who rely on TikTok to make ends meet, to the teachers who inspire millions of students to learn, and to everyone who discovers and finds joy on TikTok," Chew said.

"We will not stop fighting and advocating for you. We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you."

Just before concluding his video, Chew explained that he believes together, "we can overcome this." He encouraged users to continue sharing their stories with friends, family, and even Senators.

"Protect your constitutional rights," he said. "Make your voices heard."

With 18 million views in a short period of time, there were tons of viewers dropping into the comment section to share their support for Chew and the app.

"We trust you, Shou! Don’t give up," one person wrote. Another added, "Thank you...pls don't stop fighting. This government is such a mess. I find so much joy on TikTok. And the recovery community has helped me in ways I can't even explain. Stay strong."

Many also shared things they've learned from being a TikTok user.

"I’ve learned so much from TikTok. Aside from world news, I’ve learned how to make bread, chunky blankets, scroll saw, new recipes (I’m a visual person) and so much more," one TikToker said.

Another added, "I’m neurodivergent and this platform has worked well with that when it comes to simply looking up how to do something like crochet, bake, look for inspo, etc. It’s done much more too but."

One viewer pointed out, "Never do I see relevant ads on TikTok but when I even say something I'm interested in in a 50 ft radius of my phone Meta somehow shows me ads for it," alluding to the fact that Chew has secured the data on TikTok.

Just before Wednesday's vote, the app shared a call-to-action for users.

"Stop a TikTok shutdown," the call-to-action reads on TikTok. "Call your representative now. When you're connected say where you're from and tell them to vote NO on the TikTok ban."

Under the call-to-action information was a blurb about not letting the U.S. government "strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression," as well as some of the possible consequences of a U.S. TikTok ban.

Now that the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was passed on Wednesday, the bill will now be voted by the Senate. If the Senate approves, the next step is for President Biden to sign it into law, which will ban the app from the U.S.

TikTok Policy issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday after the vote.

"Our statement on today's House vote: This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it's a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service."

In Chew's TikTok video, he briefly mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit if the ban happens. A previous attempt to ban TikTok in the state of Montana was blocked in December after a judge found it unconstitutional ruling that a ban blocked free speech and punished the company without a trial.

Now that the bill is in the Senate, there could be one major obstacle that helps keep TikTok. Many TikTok users are young voters that could have a major impact on the 2024 U.S. election. Senators are aware of this fact.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said he has concerns about the bill's constitutionality, according to CNN.

"Cutting out a large group of young voters is not the best-known strategy for reelection," Durbin said.

If the bill is enacted, it gives TikTok about five months to split from ByteDance. If that doesn't happen, app stores in the U.S. will be prohibited from hosting the app on their platforms and app stores that violate the legislation could be fined $5,000 per user of the banned app.