Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, announced on Sunday that he will introduce a comprehensive, bipartisan measure this week that will set up a strategy for outlawing or restricting foreign technologies, such as the well-known video-sharing app TikTok.
More than 100 million Americans use the short-form video app TikTok. Due to the fact that the app’s parent firm, ByteDance, is a privately held Chinese company, worries over data privacy have been circulating around the app.
Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, and Warner are collaborating on the legislation, according to Warner, who also expressed concern about the TikTok content that Americans are exposed to.
“They are taking data from Americans, not keeping it safe, but what worries me more with TikTok is that this can be a propaganda tool,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
After the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee decided Wednesday to forward a bill giving President Joe Biden the authority to outlaw TikTok, Warner’s proposal was passed. With unanimity from the Republicans and no votes from the Democrats, the bill was approved by the Republican-controlled committee 24 to 16 on a party-line vote.
TikTok was prohibited from government devices in December
Nevertheless, politicians still have a long way to go before any genuine prohibition could be put into effect, even with the legislation that was presented to the committee last week.
If this bill passes the Republican-controlled House, it would then need to be approved by the Democratic-majority Senate, which would be difficult given the Democratic opposition that has already been expressed. If the Senate did approve it, Biden would then have to choose whether to sign it or veto it.
TikTok has faced issues from the US government before, as former President Donald Trump announced his intention to impose an executive order banning the app in 2020. Some governors have pulled TikTok from state computer networks, including those at public colleges, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reiterated efforts for a total countrywide ban in January. TikTok was prohibited from government devices by Congress as part of a bipartisan spending package in December.
