Angus King adds to liberal support for TikTok ban
Christopher Hutton
Video Embed
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) backed a total ban of TikTok, adding to a trend of liberal politicians turning against the social media app because of its ties to China.
King joined with Marco Rubio (R-FL) to introduce legislation that would completely ban TikTok from the United States.
CHINESE BALLON WAS DESIGNED FOR INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE, NOT WEATHER
The Maine senator is an independent but caucuses and generally votes with Democrats.
Republicans are generally more skeptical of TikTok, but Democrats also have called for stricter regulation of the app in recent days. King’s endorsement follows remarks from Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mark Warner (D-VA) in favor of increased regulatory scrutiny for TikTok.
TikTok is under pressure in Washington. Congress recently passed a ban on installing TikTok on government devices, and the app faces scrutiny from congressional committees.
“We cannot allow hostile governments to use our social media habits as a Trojan Horse into our networks,” King said in a press statement. “Make no mistake – every ‘private’ enterprise in China has direct ties and on-demand information-sharing requirements with the national government.” King called for TikTok to divest from its parent company ByteDance, or else Congress will “take the necessary steps to protect Americans from potential foreign spying and misinformation operations.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The bill in question, known as the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP ACT, would prohibit all transactions with social media companies that are in or influenced by China, Russia, or other “countries of concern.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to vote to move a national ban forward for consideration. TikTok’s CEO is also expected to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March.