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There is widespread and bipartisan consensus that TikTok is a critical threat to our national security given the social media app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo explained her hesitation to take action to ban, or meaningfully restrict, Chinese-owned TikTok, saying, “[t]he politician in me thinks you’re gonna literally lose every voter under 35, forever.” The secretary’s comments are in striking contrast with the Biden Administration’s own FBI and CIA directors, who have warned of the critical risks posed by the app.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), whose bicameral and bipartisan ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act would ban or force divestiture of dangerous, Chinese-owned social media apps, including TikTok, released a statement criticizing Secretary Raimondo’s comments:

• “People were horrified by the Chinese spy balloon that flew through multiple states in our nation. However, that level of spying happens every day through TikTok, which is a clear national security risk that collects and manipulates content on behalf of the CCP. We know that TikTok has surveilled and spied on journalists, violating civil liberties. This is not just some harmless social media app, but a critical tool that gives Beijing power over the day-to-day lives of more than 100 million Americans. Now is the time to pass my ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act and end this threat for good.”  – Senator Marco Rubio

Want more information? See the links below. 

• February 2023: Momentum Grows to Ban Chinese-Owned TikTok, as Rubio and King Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill

• December 2022: Rubio, Gallagher Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Ban TikTok