On Tuesday, a group of American lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, announced bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the use of China’s social media app TikTok in the United States.
The move increases pressure on ByteDance, the owner of the video-sharing app, amid concerns among some in the United States that the app could be used to spy on Americans or censor content.
According to a news release from Rubio’s office, the legislation would prohibit any social media company from conducting business in or with a “country of concern,” such as China or Russia.
“The federal government has yet to take a single meaningful action to protect American users from TikTok’s threat,” the Florida senator said in a statement. “This isn’t about making creative videos; it’s about an app that collects data on tens of millions of American children and adults on a daily basis.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) sponsored a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the release.
“TikTok is digital fentanyl, addicting Americans, collecting massive amounts of data, and censoring their news,” Gallagher said in a statement.
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