New legislation that seeks to forbid TikTok from operating in the US has been proposed by three US lawmakers.
The latest escalation by US authorities against 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 congressmen in the House. Concerns have been raised about TikTok’s capacity to protect US user data from Chinese authorities.
The proposed legislation would “block and prohibit all transactions” in the United States by social media firms with at least one million monthly users that are headquartered in, or “substantially influenced by,” nations such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, or that are under the “substantial influence” of those nations.
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, are specifically mentioned in the bill as social media companies subject to the regulations. In a Washington Post op-ed published last month, Rubio and Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, one of the bill’s supporters in the House, announced their plans to submit the legislation.
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.
The flurry of activity contrasts with the protracted discussions TikTok has had with the US government for years regarding a potential agreement that may enable the company to address national security issues and to continue providing services to US consumers.
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’s supervision.
Hilary McQuaide, a spokesperson for TikTok, said in a statement: “It’s troubling that some members of Congress have chosen to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States, rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok.
In order to better safeguard our platform in the United States, McQuaide continued, “We will continue to inform members of Congress on the plans that have been created under the supervision of our country’s top national security agencies—plans that we are well underway in implementing.
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.
The federal bill introduced on Tuesday is not the only one that pertains to TikTok. Rubio offered a plan that would require some app developers to divulge ownership information, and US senators proposed a rule that would prohibit the use of TikTok by federal agencies last year. Another bill put out this autumn would forbid TikTok from allowing staff members stationed in China to access user data belonging to US citizens.
The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the US military have already blocked TikTok on equipment they control.
