Lawmakers unveil bipartisan bill to ban TikTok nationwide

A group of lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation Tuesday that would ban TikTok in the U.S., following warnings from the FBI director and cybersecurity experts who have said China could use the social media platform for spying.

The bill would “protect Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern,” the lawmakers said in a news release.

The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., with a companion measure introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. The lawmakers said the bill aims to protect Americans from foreign adversaries who might use certain social media to surveil Americans, learn sensitive data about them, and spread influence campaigns or propaganda.

Under the measure, the president could impose sanctions on TikTok and other social media companies to prevent commercial operation in the U.S.