Biden won’t rule out banning TikTok in US: ‘I don’t have it on my cell phone’

The president of the United States, Joe Bidensaid on Monday that has yet to make a decision on whether to ban the use of the TikTok appbelonging to China ByteDancebut claimed he did not have it on his phone.

“I do not know but I know I don’t have it on my cell phoneBiden said in response to questions from the press upon arriving at the White House after spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential residence in Maryland.

The use of TikTok is banned on mobile devices used by government employeesincluding those used by the President.

In December, Congress passed a law to this effect, but several Democratic and Republican legislators want to go further and They consider that the application should be completely banned in the United Statesso that Americans cannot download it or receive updates.

He FBI also expressed concerns that TikTok could be used by Beijing for espionage purposessince the application belongs to the Chinese company ByteDance.

China has safety laws could force tech companies to share data with their intelligence servicesBut TikTok and other companies see these concerns as meaningless and the data is safe with them.

At the local level, some states like Alabama, Virginia there Tennessee have restricted the use of TikTok within government institutions, while territories such as Indiana sued ByteDance for allegedly enabling Chinese espionage.

The Governor of Texas, the Republican Greg Abbottannounced a new plan on Monday to ban the use of TikTok on the devices of all public servants who work for the state, including those who work as contractors, a new step in the restrictions that have been announced recently. month.

Former US President donald trump (2017-2021) attempted to impose a ban on TikTok, but after a lengthy legal battle, this did not materialize.

Senator Marco Rubio asked this Tuesday to move forward with the banning of TikTok in the United States. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Republican congressman asked him to prioritize the legislation for a vote and consideration as soon as possible.

“As you know, 30+ states have blocked TikTok from state devices. This is in addition to legislation that prohibits the app on most federal devices. This is not an exaggeration, but a necessary response to the continued threat that the app, and others like it, pose to US personnel data,” Rubio said in his letter to Schumer.

Republican congressman points to actions of Democratic Senate majority leader as positivebut that he must ensure that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not use TikTok as a Trojan horse, operating as an app supposed to entertain but used to monitor, track and collect information from Americans.

“Given your role as Senate Majority Leader, you understand the threat posed by Beijing’s control over TikTok and the need to protect Americans from the growing influence of the CCP and other rogue regimes. Since you have scheduled it for consideration by the Senate, I request that Section 347, Antisocial CCP Law be prioritized and put to a vote without delay,” the letter concludes.

TikTok has over 80 million users in the United States and in a short time it has become one of the most popular social networks in the world, especially among teenagers.

(With information from EFE)

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