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Feenstra votes to crack down on TikTok

App could be banned from US

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra voted Wednesday for a bill that could potentially ban the TikTok app because it is controlled by China.

The measure passed on a 352-65 vote and now goes to the Senate.

“As a father of four, I believe that TikTok is a serious threat to our national security, our economy and the wellbeing of our kids,” the Republican from Hull said in a written statement.

“We know that TiTok’s parent company — ByteDance — is largely controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which directly exposes Americans to Chinese data collection, surveillance, cyberattacks and propaganda,” he added.

He said the legislation “will protect Americans from unlawful data collection, keep our children safe from Chinese influence and prevent other adversaries like North Korea, Iran and Russia from using apps to spy on Americans and steal personal information.”

The bill is called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. It requires apps to completely separate from companies controlled by countries deemed to be foreign adversaries. TikTok is the best known of the apps that would be impacted by this bill..

If the bill becomes law, Chinese ownership of TikTok would have to end within six months or the app would be banned in the United States.

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