U.S. legislators have started a new campaign to ban TikTok in the country.
Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, unveiled the proposal amid worries that the app could be used to spy on American individuals. The draft legislation would prohibit any transactions from social media companies based in, or under the control of, China and Russia.
Democratic Representative Raja Krishna Murti and Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher introduced a companion bill in the US House of Representatives.
The bill was introduced as focus on Tik-Tok in Washington has increased; FBI director Chris Ray stated last month that the company’s U.S. operations raise national security concerns and raise the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to sway users or take control of their devices.
In the meantime, Texas, Maryland, and South Dakota are among the U.S. states that have outlawed the use of Tik-Tok on state government devices, joining Alabama and Utah in doing so under the pretext of national security.
The state of Indiana has also sued the up alleging that it is deceiving users about China’s access to their data and is exposing children to mature content
Donald Trump, the president of the United States in 2020, tried to prevent new users from using Tik-Tok . His administration also prohibited other business transactions for the company, which blocked the apps used in the United States. However, the administration lost several court battles over the legislation, which was eventually unsuccessful.
