STORY: TikTok ban bill is digital protectionism: Spanish expert
SHOOTING TIME: April 15, 2024
DATELINE: April 16, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:50
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Barcelona
2. SOUNDBITE (Catalan): CARME FERRE-PAVIA, Professor of communication studies at Autonomous University of Barcelona

STORYLINE:

The U.S. House of Representatives in March passed a bill which could potentially lead to the nationwide ban on short-video app TikTok, citing unfounded national security concerns due to its Chinese ownership.

The move is "a case of so-called digital protectionism," a Spanish expert has said.

Carme Ferre-Pavia, professor of communication studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua.
   
SOUNDBITE (Catalan): CARME FERRE-PAVIA, Professor of communication studies at Autonomous University of Barcelona
"This is a case of so-called digital protectionism and is a geopolitical issue in which international relations and digital networks are heavily involved but has nothing to do with the users themselves. TikTok is a tool many people use to make money, not only those with a business or a shop but also influencers. This monetization side of the issue means many people will be affected as stakeholders."

The bill, which still needs passage in the Senate to become law, would prohibit TikTok from U.S. app stores unless the social media platform -- used by roughly 170 million Americans -- is spun off from its parent company ByteDance. The bill gives ByteDance, which allegedly raises security risks for the United States, roughly five months to sell TikTok.
   
If divestiture is not achieved by that time, it will be illegal for app store operators such as Apple and Google to offer the app for download.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)