Vinod Khosla and Palantir Jacob Helberg call on Senate to ban TikTok.
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and Palantir advisor Jacob Helberg urged to approve the so-called TikTok prohibition measure.
Venture Capitalist Vinod Khosla and Silda advisor Jacob Helberg al together wrote an open letter to the US Senate in the hope that lawmakers will pass a bill to ban TikTok in the U.S.
Khosla and Helberg attributed to Twitter the title of "a weapon of the war," meaning that the platform might be successfully utilized as a weapon by foreign powers to put a country into danger.
The call for action shows homegrown tech companies' concerns about their precise relationship with international companies, mostly those that hail from countries in conflict with their own.
National Security Risks Highlighted
Khosla and Helberg's letter brings to light the security national security dangers that arise from TikTok's parent company Bytedance which is an indisputable technology from China. This is based on the consideration of raising alarms about handing a non-American entity such major control of a platform used daily by American teens.
Equating this situation with restrictions on outside ownership of American media outlets, the pair asks whether it makes sense to allow a platform with huge influence to be owned by countries such as North Korea or Iran.
Divestiture or Ban: The Senate's Difficulty
The bill put forward, which has gained much-needed momentum in the House, could lead either to a TikTok acquisition by a U.S. entity or a ban in the U.S. Though Khosla and Helberg know that ByteDance's movement against the TikTok Ownership bill is tough, they are fighting tooth and nail to protect the United State's interest.
They don't believe in the positive change associated with TikTok's ownership. They maintain this point by illustrating a current situation where the congress members' offices are being flooded by calls from TikTok users showing how they can be controlled.
Unclear Future Under Political and Economic Factor
The TikTok fate debate has drawn the concern of multiple stakeholders, former President Donald Trump being among them, who has thrown reservations about the banning of TikTok. But the Khosla and Helberg maintain that national security has to be given priority over the economic aspects.