Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Bill That Aims To Ban TikTok In The U.S. – If passed, a new bill from a bipartisan group of lawmakers would ban TikTok in the United States, following years of widespread concern from the Trump and Biden administrations over the company’s potential ties to the Chinese government. On Tuesday, when the news emerged, shares of social media companies including Meta and Snap were up. Meta shares were up more than 6% and Snap shares were up more than 3%.
TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has sparked concerns in the United States that Chinese government officials may get access to U.S. user data under Chinese legislation, which might force the company to hand over information. TikTok has stated that U.S. user data is securely stored outside of China, which should prevent government agents from accessing it. Despite the company’s claims, TikTok remains under intense scrutiny. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is apparently in discussions with the company regarding how to address some of the data concerns, though a resolution has been reportedly delayed.
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FBI Director Christopher Wray recently testified before Congress that he is “extremely concerned” about the possible influence of the Chinese government on American TikTok users. The new bill, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., would ban “all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern,” according to a press release.
The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP ACT — which stands for Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party — explicitly names ByteDance and TikTok as subject to the restrictions in the bill, “unless and until the date on which the President certifies to Congress that the company no longer meets any of the conditions described,” such as being subject to “substantial influence” by a country of concern.
“It is troubling that rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “We will continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies—plans that we are well underway in implementing—to further secure our platform in the United States.”
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