TikTok's future in the US is once again uncertain as the Senate introduced a bipartisan bill that could give the US government the power to restrict access to the app. Led by Senator Mark Warner, the bill aims to mitigate potentially risky transactions with foreign companies that pose a threat to national security. Although the bill does not specifically mention TikTok, it could apply to any foreign-owned company, especially those based in China.
Prohibition TikTok is closer than ever thanks to a new Senate bill that would give the US government the power to restrict access to the video-sharing app. The bill, spearheaded by Senator Mark Warner, has bipartisan support and aims to mitigate potentially risky transactions with foreign-owned companies that pose a threat to national security. Although the bill does not specifically mention it TikTok, includes companies based in conflicting countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.
Senator Warner believes the US needs a comprehensive, risk-based approach that proactively deals with potentially dangerous technology before it takes hold in America. This approach will help the US avoid playing "Whac-A-Mole" and scrambling to catch up when the technology is already ubiquitous.
The bill creates a formal process for government agencies to deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate or otherwise mitigate services they deem to be a threat. However, agencies can only do this if they have access to the sensitive personal information of more than 1 million people in the US. The bill also provides the Commerce Secretary with a handful of smaller tools to mitigate risky transactions, such as the ability to force companies to divest services.
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it stores the data of US users in China, but the app is still negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to remain operational in the US. In response to Warner's account, a TikTok spokesperson said the action was unnecessary.
The bill offers comprehensive solution to address potentially dangerous technology and foreign companies that represent a risk to US security. In contrast to the House bill, it creates a framework for evaluating and punishing foreign companies, rather than targeting TikTok specifically. Senator Michael Bennet, co-sponsor of the bill, emphasizes the importance of a strategic, permanent mechanism to protect Americans and their national security.
While the future TikTok in the US remains uncertain, the company is still taking steps to mitigate foreign threats to US data. The company recently unveiled Project Texas, which would separate most of TikTok's US operations from its Chinese parent ByteDance, with Oracle controlling US data flows.
