Munich: Former US Congressman Mike Gallagher revealed that a bill to ban TikTok had gained renewed momentum following a recent attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel. The incident on October 7, 2023, played a pivotal role in reviving the legislation, which had been considered stagnant.

According to Anadolu Agency, Senator Mark Warner and former Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher discussed the TikTok ban at the Munich Security Conference. The bill, initially introduced by Warner and Gallagher, identified TikTok as a national security threat to the United States. "I want to see if you're going to tell the real story," Warner remarked to Gallagher during the discussion.

Gallagher explained that despite bipartisan support and backing from the executive branch, the bill had lost traction until the events of October 7th. The attack led to an increase in anti-Semitic content on TikTok, thereby reigniting legislative interest. "And people started to see a bunch of anti-Semitic content on the platform and our bill had legs again," Gallagher noted.

In March 2024, the US House of Representatives passed a bill mandating that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, divest its US operations to an entity with no Chinese government ties, or face a nationwide ban on the app. US President Donald Trump, after taking office on January 20, issued an executive order delaying the law's enforcement by 75 days.

Gallagher further criticized TikTok's response to the legislative developments, particularly an app feature encouraging users to contact Congress members. "Kids were calling into their members of Congress during school hours threatening to commit suicide if TikTok went away," he stated, highlighting concerns about the platform's potential for propaganda and brainwashing.