Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Monday endorsed an effort to require the Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban of the popular app within the United States, warning that Chinese ownership poses a serious national security threat.
“America’s greatest strategic rival is threatening our security right here on U.S. soil… in tens of millions of American homes. I’m speaking, of course, about TikTok,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.
McConnell noted that today 170 million Americans are active users of TikTok, which he said the People’s Republic of China “treats as a tool of surveillance and propaganda.”
The Republican leader warned that China’s communist government has full access to the data of American users, despite claims by TikTok officials who say that users’ personal information, browsing histories, keystrokes and other sensitive data is protected.
“Requiring the divestment of Beijing-influenced entities from TikTok would land squarely …