Controversial free speech site Rumble wants to BUY and operate TikTok in the US to prevent Congress from banning China’s app
An American company has offered to buy TikTok to prevent the Chinese app from receiving a nationwide ban.
A letter from Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski appeared on the company’s X-page on Tuesday, declaring that its online video platform is ready to “acquire and operate TikTok in the US.”
Pavloski further made his case by explaining that Rumble would store data securely in the US with its recently launched cloud service that champions “the free and open internet.”
The letter comes as the House of Representatives has threatened to ban TikTok if its parent company does not sell ByteDance, citing national security concerns over the Chinese government’s access to user data.
A letter from Rumble CEO Chris Pavloski appeared on the company’s X-page on Tuesday, stating that its online video platform is ready to “acquire and operate TikTok in the US.”
News of Rumble’s offer to buy and operate TikTok in the US sent the company’s shares soaring Tuesday morning
Florida-based Rumble shares rose more than 15 percent just moments after Pavloski’s offer surfaced.
“In the event that ByteDance divestes its ownership in TikTok, Rumble is prepared to join a consortium with other parties seeking to acquire and operate TikTok in the United States,” the CEO wrote.
The letter comes a day after Rumble announced the launch of the Rumble Cloud, which Pavoski said is intended to fight censorship and advocate for the “free and open internet.” FOX business reported.
The CEO said his too The company values ”free speech and the First Amendment,” which many TikTok users say will be lost if TikTok is banned in the US.
Rumble has declared itself one of the few ‘neutral’ and ‘independent platforms.
The company has received funding from several right-wing figures such as Peter Thiel and Vivek Ramaswamy, who own a $25 million investment.
The letter was posted to Rumble’s X account on Tuesday
The letter comes because the House of Representatives has threatened to ban TikTok if parent company ByteDance does not sell
The platform has also become home to dozens of QAnon-supporting channels. The left-wing Media Matters for America published research last year after finding at least 27 channels banned from other platforms
The platform has also become home to dozens of QAnon-supporting channels.
The left-wing Media Matters for America published research last year after finding at least 27 channels banned from other platforms.
“We found that videos from QAnon channels featuring shows or figures that have historically and openly promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory appeared on the Rumble leaderboard every day between February 1 and April 30 – a total of 603 times,” said Media matters.
Russell Brand, Alex Jones and Andrew Tate are among notable names who were banned from other sites for their controversial views but were allowed to remain on Rumble.
Pavloski did not mention the purchase amount in the letter to ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew.
House representatives said Monday they are moving forward on the bill that would require ByteDance to sell TikTok and that leadership will vote on the measure on Wednesday.
If the bill passes, ByteDance will have six months to divest TikTok and other applications to avoid a nationwide ban.
Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the bill in an X-post on Tuesday: ‘This law isn’t just about TikTok, it’s about censorship and government control! If it were just about TikTok, it would only mention ‘foreign control’ as a topic, but that’s not the case.”
Former President Donald Trump also expressed his opposition to a possible ban.
“Honestly, there are a lot of people on TikTok who love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who are going crazy without TikTok,” Trump said in a call-in interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot of bad with TikTok. But what I don’t like is that without TikTok you will make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook an enemy of the people, along with a large part of the media.’
Rumble has an account on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
President Joe Biden said last week that he has approved legislation to ban TikTok — a month after he officially joined the platform.
TikTok has become a major issue in the 2024 presidential campaign.
The platform has about 170 million users in the U.S., most of whom are younger — a demographic that both parties are desperately trying to court ahead of November’s general election.
Younger voters are especially difficult to reach for campaigns as they turn away from traditional platforms like cable TV.
Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that TikTok owner ByteDance could share user data, such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers, with China’s authoritarian government.
TikTok said it has never done that and wouldn’t do so if asked.
The US government has also provided no evidence that this is happening.