Espionage allegations against China: US MPs want to ban Tiktok

uS MPs from both parties have introduced bills in both chambers of Congress to ban the Chinese video app Tiktok. Republican Senator Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that all social media transactions influenced by China or Russia should be banned.

“This isn’t about creative videos, this is an app that collects data from millions of American children and adults every day,” he explained. His party colleague Mike Gallagher from the House of Representatives compared tolerating Tiktok to allowing the Soviet Union during the Cold War to buy up the newspapers “New York Times” and “Washington Post” as well as major TV stations.

A statement from the Tiktok mother Bytedance or the government in Beijing was initially not available. China has denied allegations of espionage.

Security agencies and politicians in the US have been targeting the video platform for years. Last month, FBI Chief Chris Wray warned the Chinese government could use the app to seize control of millions of US citizens’ data. They can also manipulate the software’s recommendation algorithms in order to exert influence.

Several states — including Texas — have banned the installation of Tiktok on devices under their jurisdiction. President Donald Trump failed in 2020 in an attempt to ban Americans from downloading the app. In Germany, Digital Minister Volker Wissing rejected a special law regulating Tiktok in June.