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The US House of Representatives' Republican and Democratic members support a nationwide TikTok ban due to cybersecurity concerns and Chinese government spying.
The US House of Representatives will most likely take steps on legislating a TikTok ban after the controversial platform's CEO Shou Zi Chew's testimony on Capitol Hill failed to satisfy bipartisan concerns about online data security, Rep. Mike Gallagher said on Sunday.
The Wisconsin Republican legislator explained that TikTok has brought together Republicans and Democrats out of a fear of letting the Chinese Communist Party control the country's most powerful media platform, per ABC News.
Rep. Gallagher, the chairman of the House select committee on US competition with China, underscored that either a TikTok ban will be imposed or the company will be forced to be sold by its Chinese parent business, ByteDance, to an American corporation.
While China strictly limits internet usage inside its borders, Chinese authorities have stated they would oppose such propositions, calling them excessive and unjust. Opponents argue the investigation has not extended to comparable social media services.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state, on Sunday called for a TikTok ban in the United States, as she sees the popular app as "an immediate threat."
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After hearing testimony from TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Thursday, the chairperson of the House Energy and Commerce Committee urged the US Congress to establish data privacy legislation and a nationwide TikTok ban.
McMorris said that Chew's testimony made obvious that TikTok is a danger and that action should be taken "to address the immediate threat and we also need a national data privacy law," according to CNN.
TikTok has 150 million active US users each month and it is highly popular among Gen Z users.
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Supports US TikTok Ban
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has made it clear that he would support a countrywide TikTok ban.
On Sunday, Kevin McCarthy posted on social media that the US House of Representatives would be moving ahead with legislation involving TikTok.
It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true—China has access to TikTok user data.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) March 26, 2023
The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.
"It's very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true-China has access to TikTok user data," he tweeted, as reported by The Hill.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy told journalists last week that he would back US Congress measures to legislate a TikTok ban as long as it would be done lawfully.
Related Article: Here's Why TikTok Is Not Available in China
