Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok
- ‘Every accusation of data gathering that has been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic big tech companies’, Paul said
- TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi appeared before Congress last week and faced tough questions about national security concerns
US Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bid to fast track a ban of popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies.
“I think we should beware of those who use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties,” Paul said on the Senate floor. “Every accusation of data gathering that has been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic big tech companies.”
Republican Senator Josh Hawley had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. “It protects the American people and it sends a message to Communist China that you cannot buy us,” Hawley said, adding the app is spying on Americans.
“If Republicans want to continuously lose elections for a generation they should pass this bill to ban TikTok – a social media app used by 150 million people, primarily young Americans,” Paul said on the Senate floor. “Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans? … We’re going to be just like China and ban speech we’re afraid of?”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last week he expects the house will take up a bill to address TikTok but the timing is unclear. It is also not clear what a final bill to address TikTok might look like.
A small but growing number of Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns, citing free speech and other issues and have objected to legislation targeting TikTok as too broad.
TikTok chief executive Chew Shou Zi appeared before Congress last week and faced tough questions about national security concerns over the ByteDance-owned app.