US Congress Proposes TikTok Ban, Calling It a "Puppet of the Communist Party" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] A bill to completely ban the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok in the United States, amid ongoing concerns that it could pose a threat to national security, has been simultaneously introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

On the 13th (local time), according to major foreign media, Republican Senator Marco Rubio (Florida), Republican Representative Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin), and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois) introduced a bill in the Senate and House to ban TikTok’s operations within the United States.

The bill, titled “Avoiding National Threats from the Chinese Communist Party’s Internet Surveillance, Coercive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning,” aims to block transactions of social media companies under the influence of China or Russia within the U.S.

Senator Rubio stated in a press release, “The federal government has taken not a single meaningful action to protect Americans from the threat posed by TikTok,” adding, “It is time to stop wasting time negotiating with a puppet company of the Chinese Communist Party. Now is the time to permanently ban TikTok.”

Representative Krishnamoorthi said, “At a time when the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries are seeking advantages against the U.S. through espionage and mass surveillance, it is urgent that we do not allow hostile forces to easily control social media that can be used as weapons against America.”

Previously, several state governments issued bans on TikTok due to concerns over information leaks. South Dakota recently became the second state, after Nebraska, to ban TikTok use on state government devices for security reasons. Additionally, South Carolina deleted and blocked TikTok on devices owned by the state government.

TikTok, a short video-sharing platform that has gained immense popularity among Americans aged 10 to 20, has faced allegations that its parent company, ByteDance, is linked to the Chinese government. There are concerns that TikTok is handing over American user information to the Chinese government, posing a significant national security threat.

The Biden administration and related intelligence agencies have been taking simultaneous steps to remove TikTok.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requested the Department of Justice to investigate Apple for removing the Chinese-owned TikTok app from the App Store. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr urged the removal of TikTok from the App Store, calling Chinese apps “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), also appeared at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last month and warned, “The Chinese government collects data on millions of TikTok users and uses TikTok to control recommendation algorithms, thereby exerting influence.”

Previously, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok in 2020 for the same reasons, but the effort was stalled due to court injunctions and ultimately failed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.