Rep Abante files bill to ban TikTok over national security concerns

Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. filed House Bill 10489 in the House of Representatives on Thursday to prohibit social media platforms and entertainment apps controlled by 'foreign adversaries,' such as TikTok, from being distributed, maintained, or updated within the Philippines.

Abante expressed concern that TikTok collects sensitive user data and could be used by China for intelligence-gathering operations and misinformation campaigns, citing tensions between the two countries over issues like Second Thomas Shoal and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The bill defines a foreign adversary-controlled application as any website or app operated directly or indirectly by a company controlled by an adversarial country identified by the President as posing significant threats to national security and territorial integrity.

Abante's proposal authorizes the Philippine President to label any foreign country as adversarial, allowing him to ban distribution of apps owned by 'adversaries' to safeguard national security and territorial integrity.

The bill also covers TikTok, which has 49.9 million active users in the Philippines, and highlights potential risks associated with data collection and transmission to the Chinese government.

According to Abante, the proposed bill regulates conduct rather than targeting content of speech, focusing on national security threats posed by foreign adversary-controlled companies operating in the country.