US Lawmakers' Bid To Ban TikTok 'troubling'

Popular Chinese social media app TikTok has called a US congressional push to ban the app in the country “politically motivated” while describing the move as “troubling”.

TikTok made the statement after Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced bipartisan legislation to ban the app, citing fears it could be used to spy on Americans and censor content.

The legislation would block all transactions from any social media company in or under the influence of China and Russia, Rubio's office said in a news release, adding that a companion bill in the US House of Representatives was sponsored by another Republican congressman and a Democrat.

"It is troubling that rather than encouraging the administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement added the company would continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that are "well underway" to "further secure our platform in the United States".

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump attempted to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions that would have effectively blocked the apps' use in the United States, but lost a series of court battles over the measure. (Reuters)