McConnell Files TikTok Separation Legislation From China's ByteDance

Head of US Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, (photo: x @LeaderMcConnell)

JAKARTA - The head of the US Republican Senator, Mitch McConnell, on Monday, April 8, proposed legislation to force TikTok's parent company, ByteDance from China, to release a short video app used by 170 million Americans.

"Requiring the separation of entities influenced by Beijing from TikTok will be appropriate in established constitutional precedents," McConnell said. "This will begin to return a wave of major threats to American children."

"TikTok is America's biggest strategic rival that threatens our security right on US soil in tens of millions of American homes," he said.

The US House of Representatives voted 352-65 on March 13 to force ByteDance, parent TikTok, in about six months to release assets in the US from the short video app, or face bans.

Senate Commerce Committee chairman Maria Cantwell told reporters on Monday that she would meet Democratic Party Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, "Then we will have a game plan on how to continue (this)," Cantwell said.

On Friday, April 5, Schumer said senators could make progress "on the way to TikTok legislation."

Schumer's statement did not specify specific positions about TikTok but said "in the weeks and months to come, we have the opportunity to make progress on bipartisan bills" including TikTok-related measures.

"The key point here is to get tools that can be used to stop foreign actors from trying to do harm to US citizens," Cantwell said.

TikTok's fate has become a major issue in Washington where policymakers have been flooded with demands from opposing users of the legislation.

"The restrictions on TikTok will violate the first rights of 170 million US citizens," TikTok said on Friday.

Joe Biden's many legislators and administration say TikTok carries a national security risk as China could force TikTok to share American user data, while TikTok insists that it never shares US data and will never do so.

TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion to protect US data and store it in the US.