According to Breitbart, Senator Marco Rubio is putting the pedal to the metal to pass a bill to ban TikTok until and unless the popular app is divested of all Chinese ownership.
Senator Rubio of Florida and Senator Angus King of Maine reintroduced a bill on Friday, announcing that momentum is growing to get the legislation passed.
The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act, for short. The bill is named Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship, and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act. If passed, any social media app that is directly or indirectly owned or substantially influenced by a foreign adversary would be prohibited for use in the U.S., according to the Breitbart report.
Rubio, who is not new to politics and a newcomer to the legislative effort, King introduced the bill during the last Congress. In a statement, King said, We cannot allow hostile governments to use our social media habits as a Trojan Horse into our networks. Make no mistake - every private enterprise in China has direct ties and on-demand information-sharing requirements with the national government.
The TikTok app allows users to upload short self-created videos. China-based ByteDance owns the program. Senator King noted the Chinese governments potential to access TikTok user data and exploit Americans private information is an unacceptable national security risk.
In a letter to the CEOS of Apple and Google from Senator Michael Bennett of Colorado, the senator encouraged both significant players to ban TikTok from their app stores. A portion of the letter reads: TikTok is now the third-most used social media app in the United States, with over 100 million monthly active users. Today, roughly 36 percent of Americans over age 12 use TikTok, including 61 percent of Americans ages 12 to 34. On average, American TikTok users spend 80 minutes per day on the app - more than Facebook and Instagram combined.
Several other politicians from the Republican and Democratic parties have weighed in, calling for action against TikTok.
Rep. Mark Warner of Virginia and chair of the Senate Intel Committee said his patience is wearing thin with the lack of involvement by the Biden administration regarding security concerns with TikTok.
In December, most federal government devices were banned from using TikTok, and an estimated 30 states have followed suit.
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