TikTok faces the probability of being banned in the US on concerns about user data being spied upon and handed to the Chinese government. Republican Senator Marco Rubio proposed bipartisan legislation to ban China’s popular social media app TikTok on Tuesday, ramping up pressure on owner ByteDance Ltd.
According to Rubio’s office, the law would restrict all social media transactions from China and Russia. Republican Mike Gallagher and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi sponsored a related bill in the House. ByteDance declined to comment on the issue.
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FBI Director Chris Wray warned last month that TikTok’s U.S-based operations raise national security concerns as the Chinese government may use the data to control devices and influence users.
Earlier in 2020, the Trump administration had made a failed bid to ban TikTok. The former President had attempted to restrict new users from installing Tiktok and block transactions that would have stopped the use of the app in the US but had to admit defeat due to losing many court battles over the issue.
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The U.S. government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance have been engaging in talks for months to agree on national security to safeguard the information of TikTok’s 100 million subscribers.
At least nine states have taken action on TikTok “based on the major security dangers it presents,” Republican Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr tweeted on Monday.
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On Monday, Alabama and Utah joined a growing list of Republican-led states that have banned TikTok from state-owned devices and networks, citing security concerns.
Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota are among the other U.S. states that have banned TikTok on state-owned devices.
This post was originally published on Ash & Pri.
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