New legislation that seeks to forbid TikTok from operating in the US has been submitted by US lawmakers.
The latest action by US policymakers to target the Chinese-owned short-form video app is reflected in the new measure introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, the senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a bipartisan pair of congressman in the House.
According to certain sources, TikTok is unable to protect the data of US users from the Chinese authorities.
According to legislation that was put forth on Tuesday, December 13, social media companies with at least one million monthly users who are based in, or who are “substantially influenced” by, nations that are regarded as foreign enemies, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, would be “blocked and prohibited from conducting any transactions” in the United States. These nations include China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, are specifically mentioned in the bill as social media companies subject to the regulations.
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The measure was passed at the same time that a number of states, led by Republican governors, passed state-level limitations on the use of TikTok on equipment used by the public sector. At least seven states, including Maryland, South Dakota, and Utah, have introduced such laws in the last two weeks.
TikTok has been in talks with the US government for years about a possible agreement that may allow the business to solve national security issues while still providing services to US consumers.
In the past, TikTok has stated that it does not share information with the Chinese government and that a US-based security team chooses who is permitted access to US user data coming from China. Additionally, TikTok has admitted in the past that staff members residing in China currently have access to user data.
Rubio said in a statement that “the federal government has failed to take a single serious move to safeguard American users from the threat of TikTok.”
The time for pointless conversations with a CCP-puppet firm is over. It’s time to permanently outlaw TikTok under Beijing supervision.
A spokesman for TikTok, Hilary McQuaide, responded with the following statement:
“It’s concerning that rather than urging the Administration to wrap up its national security investigation of TikTok, it appears to be discouraging.
