Republican lawmaker calls TikTok ‘an instantaneous risk’ and requires app to be banned

Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington stated Sunday that TikTok represents “an instantaneous risk” from China and known as for the short-form video app to be banned within the US.

The chairwoman of the Home Power and Commerce Committee stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Congress ought to move a knowledge privateness legislation and ban TikTok within the US after the corporate’s CEO Shou Chew testified in entrance of her committee on Thursday.

McMorris Rodgers stated Chew’s testimony “made clear” that TikTok is a risk to the US.

“What the listening to made clear to me was that TikTok needs to be banned in the USA of America to handle the speedy risk and we additionally want a nationwide information privateness legislation,” McMorris Rodgers informed CNN’s Jake Tapper.

The Republican lawmaker cited TikTok and its dad or mum firm, ByteDance, being related to China as proof of the nationwide safety threat.

Whereas many countries have imposed bans on official authorities gadgets out of nationwide safety issues, there’s presently no public proof the Chinese language authorities has spied on folks by TikTok.

The corporate informed CNN in a press release, “The easiest way to handle issues about nationwide safety is with the clear US-based safety of US person information and programs with sturdy third-party monitoring, vetting and verification, which we’re already implementing.”

On Sunday, McMorris Rodgers responded to criticism from TikTok customers, lots of whom mocked lawmakers for his or her lack of familiarity with the app and questioned why Congress would spend time regulating social media. She famous the uncommon bipartisan settlement on the nationwide safety dangers the app presents.

“I’d say there’s an instantaneous risk through TikTok from the Chinese language Communist Social gathering. That’s the reason that I imagine we have to ban TikTok instantly. It’s a nationwide safety risk,” McMorris Rodgers stated. “It united Republicans and Democrats on the committee as to the pressing want for us to take motion.”

McMorris Rodgers additionally emphasised the necessity to move a nationwide information privateness legislation to limit all social media platforms from gathering person information, together with these based mostly within the US.

“We have to take motion whether or not it’s TikTok, massive tech or different information brokers to limit the quantity of knowledge that they’re gathering to start with,” she stated.