The U.S. House — including northern Michigan representative Jack Bergman — voted overwhelmingly recently to give the Chinese government-affiliated owner of social media platform TikTok six months to sell the company or face a ban on the platform across the U.S.

The plan now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate.

Proponents of the measure say the Chinese government’s association with the platform poses a national security threat because the Chinese could collect user data and use it for nefarious purposes. Opponents have raised concerns about infringements of First Amendment rights if Congress goes through with taking away a platform used by 170 million Americans.

As Steve Schulwitz reported recently, some Northeast Michiganders are lukewarm about the ban, seeing the value of TikTok as an educational and communication tool but understanding the security threat.

We urge all Northeast Michiganders to reach out to Michigan’s senators and tell them what they think of the effort. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters can be reached at 202-224-6221 and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow can be reached at 202-224-4822.

And, we urge senators to balance the will of the people against the communications they receive from President Joe Biden’s administration about the security threat.

No matter what Congress does with TikTok, we urge all Northeast Michiganders to log on responsibly.

Be aware of the owners of the social media platforms you use and educate yourself on what they do with your personal data before deciding which platforms with which you want to engage. Learn how to change your privacy settings so you only share what you want to share. Be careful about what you post online and make sure to never post anything you’re not comfortable with the world knowing.

The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, which works to protect people from online harassment, offers further tips at rainn.org/safe-media.

If Congress bans TikTok, users likely will simply gravitate to a different platform that could pose its own risks.

The ultimate responsibility for staying safe online lies not with the government but with each individual user.

Stay safe out there, Northeast Michigan, and be cautious.