Rubio reiterates calls for Tik Tok ban after China’s reported ownership stake

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) renewed calls to ban TikTok in the U.S. following reports that the Chinese government has acquired an ownership stake in its parent company, ByteDance.

“The Biden Administration can no longer pretend that TikTok is not beholden to the Chinese Communist Party,” the Florida lawmaker said in a press release.

“Even before today, it was clear that TikTok represented a serious threat to personal privacy and U.S. national security,” he continued. “Beijing’s aggressiveness makes clear that the regime sees TikTok as an extension of the party-state, and the U.S. needs to treat it that way.”

The Information first reported Monday that the Chinese Communist Party in April took stake and a board seat at ByteDance, which also owns some popular apps in China including Douyin and Toutiao. The Washington Post later confirmed the news.