A new bipartisan bill would give the Commerce Secretary the power to target tech companies based in hostile foreign countries, opening the door for a country-based ban on TikTok. in China.
“The Chinese Communist Party has proven over the last few years that it is willing to lie about everything,” said Sen. John Thune, RS.D., who introduced the bill with Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. “It probably won’t end with TikTok, so it’s important to build a holistic and methodical approach to the challenges posed by technology from foreign adversaries.”
‘A general framework’ to deal with foreign technology threats
Although TikTok is in the limelight now, lawmakers have indicated that the bill seeks to establish an “overarching framework to check foreign technology threats.” The bill does not mention TikTok by name.
Acknowledging that the app is used by about 100 million Americans every month, Warner said the legislation would direct the Commerce secretary to coordinate with the director of National Intelligence to provide detailed information on why TikTok and other technologies are at risk.
“It’s a popular app,” he said Warner who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “I think it should be incumbent on the government to show its cards on how this is a threat.”
The six countries classified as foreign enemies are China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.
The White House indicated Tuesday that the Biden administration supports the bill; National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urged Congress to “move quickly to send this to the President’s desk” in a statement.
Twelve senators from both parties signed the bill.
The Biden administration and lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern that the Chinese Communist Party could gather information about American customers through TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, or could It can be used to spread misinformation.
TikTok: ‘banning the export of American culture’
TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter told USA TODAY in a statement that banning the app amounts to a “ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service all over the world.”
“We appreciate that some members of Congress remain willing to explore options for addressing national security concerns without the censoring effect of millions of Americans,” he said. said Oberwetter.
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The House adopted similar legislation
The legislation is similar to a bill introduced last month by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, that would expand Biden’s ability to crack down on software applications deemed a threat to national security.
McCaul’s bill advanced through the Foreign Affairs Committee last week after a 24-16 vote along party lines. New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the committee, indicated that Democrats do not oppose all measures against TikTok, but that the specific bill “bites off more than it can handle.”
The Biden administration has also hardened its stance against TikTok, confirming last week that it has “concerns” about the app. The White House moved to ban TikTok on all government-issued devices last month, giving federal agencies 30 days to remove the app.
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