Markey Floats Draft Legislation to Keep TikTok Operating in the US

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., on Thursday released draft legislation that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. under specific national security conditions.

Markey’s TikTok Transparency and Data Security Act would lift the requirement for ByteDance to divest TikTok if the company honors certain transparency requirements about what content is displayed and promoted on the app, and if the company limits “foreign access to the data of TikTok’s American users.”

President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for ByteDance to divest three times (see 2506180071). The statute only allows for the White House to make a one-time 90-day extension.

“With Trump continuing to illegally extend the divestment deadline, it’s time for Congress to reassert its legislative power, fix its mistake, and consider a new approach to TikTok,” said Markey. “I look forward to reviewing the feedback on this discussion draft.”