On Tuesday Senator Marco Rubio of Florida announced bipartisan legislation to ban the popular Chinese video content app TikTok from the U.S. amid suspicion that the app is using its data information to spy on Americans and censor content.
The legislation would block all affairs from any social media company associated with China and Russia, negatively impacting the opportunities created by the app for content creators to make a living.
According to Rubio’s office, U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi also introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The title ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is an acronym for the “Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act.”
“We know [TikTok] is used to manipulate feeds and influence elections,” Senator Rubio said in a statement. “We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China. There is no more time to waste on meaningless negotiations with a CCP-puppet company. It is time to ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good.”
The latest states to ban TikTok on state devices are Alabama and Utah. The state of Indiana has also sued the app, which allegedly deceived its users about China’s access to their data and exposed children to mature content.
During a hearing last month, FBI Director Chris Wray claimed that TikTok’s U.S. operations raise national security concerns, posing the risk that the Chinese government could use their information to control users and their devices.
Although TikTok is not the only platform where content creators and influencers post content, this ban would instantly affect how and where their content will proceed, as it has become very popular.
Adverse reactions to the ban can be anticipated after companies and their content creators have built a living, and have spent significant time and money building their brands via TikTok videography.
via Forbes
