U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Ban TikTok The State Department, military, and Department of Homeland Security already don't allow TikTok on their devices.
By Steve Huff
Three American legislators have put forward a new bill that seeks to prohibit TikTok from functioning in the United States.
The proposal is just the latest American policy move against the Chinese-owned video-sharing app, which has long been subject to skepticism regarding its ability to protect users' personal data from the Chinese government.
The bill states that it is intended to "protect Americans from the threat posed by certain foreign adversaries using current or potential future social media companies that those foreign adversaries control to surveil Americans, learn sensitive data about Americans, or spread influence campaigns, propaganda, and censorship."
The bill follows legislation in states like Maryland and Utah that have stopped using TikTok on state-owned devices. Previously, former President Donald Trump proposed a ban on TikTok in 2020, citing national security concerns. Among other things, he claimed that the Chinese-owned app could be used by the Chinese government for nefarious purposes, but the ban didn't go through, however, and the issue was resolved through a deal in which parent company ByteDance agreed to divest its U.S. operations to an American company.
TikTok spokesperson Hilary McQuade told CNN: "It's troubling that ... 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."
As CNN notes, the State Department, military, and Department of Homeland Security don't allow TikTok on their devices.
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TikTok insists it doesn't share user data with the Chinese government, claiming a team of American employees is in charge of any Chinese access to U.S. user data.
