Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has expressed concerns about the security risks associated with the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, stating that he would consider a national ban on the platform if elected.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, DeSantis said, “I am inclined to not want TikTok in the United States. I think it’s creating a security vulnerability for us. I think they are mining a lot of data.”
However, DeSantis clarified that he wouldn’t support legislation like the RESTRICT Act, which aims to provide the federal government with more regulatory power over technology connected to foreign adversaries, including TikTok.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want Big Brother to be getting into everybody’s apps,” DeSantis stated. “It’s about vulnerabilities to our country.”
Earlier this year, DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting the use of TikTok on government and school servers and devices in Florida. This legislation was part of a broader effort to limit the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the state.
Speaking at a press conference in May about the new legislation, DeSantis explained, “We think whatever utility that these applications have is clearly outweighed by the benefit that the CCP gets from data mining and being able to collect information.”