According to Reuters, the Biden administration will endorse the Senate bill that empowers the White House to ban TikTok. The bill allows the Commerce Department to ban any foreign app that endangers US national security.
Since Trump’s presidency, TikTok has been a common target for US lawmakers and politicians. The Chinese-based video-sharing app is repeatedly accused of spying on US citizens and collaborating with the Chinese government. Despite efforts to debunk the cybersecurity concerns around the app and storing data within the US-based data centers, TikTok failed to convince US lawmakers. Now, it’s waiting for its trial.
The latest bipartisan bill by the Senate can tighten the grip on TikTok and bring it one step closer to a complete fallout in the United States. According to Senator Mark Warner, the Commerce Department will be able to restrict or ban any foreign app that threatens US national security. The bill also includes foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.
“It’s going to be incumbent on the government to show its cards in terms of how this is a threat,” Warner said.
Biden administration can now directly ban TikTok in the United States
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo should identify and address the threats to the information and US communications technology products and services. In a statement, Raimondo said she’s looking “to advance this legislation through Congress.”
Of course, TikTok also responded to the bill, saying, “US ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide.” The app currently has over 100 million users in the US, and it’s trendy among teenagers and GenZ.
The US government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and ByteDance have been in talks over data security in the past two years.
TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will testify before the US Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23. This is the first time TikTok’s CEO is testifying before a congressional committee over security concerns.