In response to news of a Chinese spy balloon floating over sensitive national security areas in the United States, Utah Senator Mitt Romney tweeted on Friday morning, “A big Chinese balloon in the sky and millions of Chinese TikTok balloons on our phones. Let’s shut them all down.”

It’s not the first time that the Senator has insisted, in no uncertain terms, that the wildly popular social media app should be banned here in the United States.

In an exclusive GZERO World interview with Ian Bremmer, Romney said, “If there is a capacity of the Chinese Communist Party to be able to spy on American citizens by using TikTok, then we have to prevent it from being used here.”

Watch the GZERO World episode: Sen. Mitt Romney on DC dysfunction, Russian attacks, and banning TikTok

More For You

Last week, Microsoft shared a five‑point set of commitments to guide its Community‑First approach to building AI and cloud infrastructure in Canada. As the company moves from investment to implementation, these commitments reflect what communities across the country say matters most: affordable and reliable energy systems, sustainable water use, good jobs, strong public services, and access to the skills needed to succeed in an AI‑driven economy. The Community‑First framework establishes a model for responsible infrastructure development—one that prioritizes affordability and sustainability while supporting long‑term economic opportunity. As demand for AI infrastructure accelerates, these commitments underscore a core principle: meaningful technological progress depends on growing in true partnership with the communities where this infrastructure is built. Read the full blog here.

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in the United Arab Emirates, on March 11, 2026.
REUTERS/Stringer

One day after US President Donald Trump announced that he had started a blockade of ships coming in and out of Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is already testing those US commitments.