A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working with the Biden administration to advance legislation granting the president additional powers to ban
TikTok
over its affiliation with
China
.
Sens.
Mark Warner
(D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) released legislation on Tuesday that would empower the White House to use additional powers to restrict TikTok and other foreign entities. The two lawmakers’ bill is the latest of several efforts by Congress to rein in the popular social media app due to its relationship with China and fears about its data collection practices.
“We need a comprehensive, risk-based approach that proactively tackles sources of potentially dangerous technology before they gain a foothold in America, so we aren’t playing Whac-A-Mole and scrambling to catch up once they’re already ubiquitous,” Warner said in a statement.
The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology, or RESTRICT, Act would provide a more comprehensive approach for handling companies such as TikTok and Huawei, according to Thune and Warner. If passed, the secretary of commerce would have to establish procedures that limit transactions involving technology in which a foreign enemy has a vested interest.
The White House praised the RESTRICT Act. “This bill presents a systematic framework for addressing technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. “This legislation would provide the U.S. government with new mechanisms to mitigate the national security risks posed by high-risk technology businesses operating in the United States.”
Warner has regularly spoken out about the threat of the popular video app. TikTok “poses a serious national security threat due to its data collection practices and its ability to reach and manipulate Americans,” Warner
said
in December.
TikTok faces multiple serious legislative threats. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted last week along party lines in favor of the
Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries Act
, which would allow the White House to impose penalties on TikTok and its parent company ByteDance if it is determined that the company had shared U.S. data with the Chinese. Democrats opposed the bill, submitted by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), and declared it rushed legislation requiring additional debate and attention.
Congress has already passed a ban on installing TikTok on government devices. The White House told
government agencies
last month they had 30 days to remove the app from all relevant devices.
Republicans have pushed for a ban on TikTok since 2020, during the Trump administration, while Democrats have been more hesitant. However, several have changed their stance on the matter in recent months and have spoken out to support the bill’s passage. These include
Sens. Angus King
(I-ME),
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
, and Warner.
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TikTok CEO
Shou Zi Chew
is set to speak before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.
