GOP Representative Calls for TikTok Ban
(USNewsBreak.com) – TikTok is more than just a video sharing app. It’s a phenomenon unto itself. Wallaroo estimates that the platform has 80 million monthly American users, and that six in 10 of them are between 16 and 24 years old. Essentially, the app holds a powerhouse of information, all flowing through a company with strong ties to China. One Republican congressman believes the app is dangerous, addictive, and of no use to kids in the US.
GOP Rep. Gallagher: 'TikTok Should Be Banned' — 'Digital Fentanyl, Addicting Our Kids'https://t.co/GqNsrLzJtq https://t.co/3Mv4yKhccm
— Filtered News (@filterednews) November 28, 2022
On November 27, Rep Mike Gallagher (R-WI) appeared on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Features” and made his feelings about TikTok clear. He said it should be banned and called it “digital fentanyl,” making a reference to the actual deadly drug and its origin, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Comparing the two made a powerful statement about what Gallagher believes is a digital Chinese spy.
The congressman describes the platform’s parent company, ByteDance, as a full-fledged agent of the Chinese government, accusing it of data mining Americans.
He fears the app allows the CCP to track locations, record keystrokes, and censor news. Gallagher says he’s working with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on legislation not just to regulate TikTok but to ban it outright. The rep calls China America’s “foremost adversary” and reminds the viewers that dozens of former lawmakers and staffers lobby on behalf of the company.
TikTok has been steeped in controversy for a few years now due to privacy and security concerns, with the US government tried to ban the platform in the country back in 2020. According to Reuters, Biden administration has more recently been conducting a national security review of the platform.
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