Thom Tillis and Dan Crenshaw lead new GOP effort to ban TikTok

Congressional Republicans are leading a new effort to encourage Congress to ban the use of the social media platform TikTok due to possible security threats.

A coalition of 17 Republicans led by Sen. Thom Tillis( R-NC ) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-TX, urged the Senate Rules Committee and the Committee on House Administration to prevent other members of Congress from using TikTok in a letter sent on Monday.

Limit ACT Writers BLAME TIKTOK FOR ATTACKS ON OPPOSED Regulations

The GOP lawmakers wrote,” We implore you to alter the House and Senate rules to prohibit Congressmen from continuing to use TikTok and have any other suitable measures to lessen the risks of this de-facto spyware game.”

TikTok” became clearly obvious to the community that the China-based app is miners data and possibly spying on American citizens ,” according to a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the app last month.

The lawmakers described the lawmakers’ continued use of TikTok by Congressmen as” troublesome” despite earlier advisory warnings of the company’s’s data vulnerabilities.

Given that there are several well-known social media apps that are not at the same risk for the probable transfer of sensitive, personal information to an hostile foreign government, the letter continued,” Some members of Congress who frequently use the app have minimized the security threat to our nation, and their defense is not powerful.”

Parliamentary representatives from both sides of the aisle have made an effort to limit TikTok’s’s power. Grass. The RESTRICT Act, which gives the Commerce Department the authority to limit technology deals related to nations that are of national concern to the U. S., is led by John Thune( R – SD ) and Mark Warner( D – VA ). China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela are the six nations listed that have hostile relations with the United States. The act has received assistance from the Biden administration.

Fears of widespread political excess beyond TikTok and violations of free speech have slammed the RESTRICT Act.

The Coin Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cryptocurrency research and advocacy, stated last month that while businesses like Tik-Tok are the main target of this legislation, the bill’s’s language may be used to obstruct or disrupt cryptocurrency orders and, in extreme cases, prevent Americans from accessing open source tools or techniques like Bitcoin.

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On Friday, Montana became the first position to completely outlaw TikTok on all particular systems, a move that goes beyond banning it on official channels.

Despite the accusations from lawmakers, TikTok branding is still very popular. In March, social media advertising increased by 11 %.