Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s office released a statement on Tuesday announcing he has put forth a bipartisan bill to ban TikTok in the United States.
Similar legislation was reportedly introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).
As a press release from Senator Rubio’s website wrote:
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is required by Chinese law to make the app’s data available to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From the FBI Director to FCC Commissioners to cybersecurity experts, everyone has made clear the risk of TikTok being used to spy on Americans…
….The Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act) would protect Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern. U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) referred to TikTok as a “digital fentanyl that is addicting Americans” which puts national security at risk.
“TikTok is digital fentanyl that’s addicting Americans, collecting troves of their data, and censoring their news,” said Gallagher, according to the release. “It’s also an increasingly powerful media company that’s owned by ByteDance, which ultimately reports to the Chinese Communist Party – America’s foremost adversary. Allowing the app to continue to operate in the U.S. would be like allowing the U.S.S.R. to buy up the New York Times, Washington Post, and major broadcast networks during the Cold War. No country with even a passing interest in its own security would allow this to happen, which is why it’s time to ban TikTok and any other CCP-controlled app before it’s too late.”
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is forced under Chinese law to open all their stored information and technology to the Chinese Communist Party.
Senator Rubio appeared on Wednesday’s episode of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss the proposed legislation.
“[Tik Tok is] basically a wholly owned subsidiary of the Communist Party of China,” Rubio alleged at the beginning of the segment.
The Florida senator argued that the Chinese-owned social media poses a huge national security risk for the United States, saying, “We shouldn’t have the Communist Party of China having access to a treasure trove of American Data that they can use to try to influence and divide us at the same time as they collect valuable information now and for the future.”
Senator Marco Rubio the Senate to ban Tik Tok
“We shouldn’t have the Communist Party of China having access to a treasure trove of American Data that they can use to try to influence and divide us at the same time as they collect valuable information now and for the future…” pic.twitter.com/UoXYTr0l2K— mai 🕊️ke (@maike809588) December 15, 2022
