Global Courant 2023-03-05 21:24:50
In this photo illustration, a TikTok App logo is displayed on a mobile phone.
Stanislav Kogiku | Sopa Images | Rocket | Getty Images
Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, D-Va., said Sunday he is introducing a broad bipartisan bill this week that outlines an approach to prohibiting or prohibiting foreign technology, such as the popular video-sharing app TikTok. .
TikTok is a shortened video platform used by more than 100 million Americans. Concerns about data privacy are swirling around the app due to its parent company ByteDance, which is based in China and privately owned.
Warner said he is working on the bill with Sen. John Thune, RS.D., adding that he is concerned about the kind of content Americans see on TikTok.
“They take data from Americans, don’t keep it safe, but what worries me more with TikTok is that it could be a propaganda tool,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
Warner’s legislation comes after the US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to introduce a bill that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok. The bill was passed along party lines by the Republican-controlled committee on 24-16, with unanimous support from the GOP and no Democratic vote.
But even with the legislation coming before committee last week, lawmakers still have a long way to go before an actual ban can be introduced.
Assuming this bill gets through the Republican-controlled House, the Senate would have to pass a version of it with a Democratic majority, which will be a challenge based on the opposition already voiced by some Democrats. If it got through the Senate, Biden would still have to decide whether to veto it or sign it.
TikTok is no stranger to challenges from US officials, as former President Donald Trump declared his intention to ban the app in 2020 through executive action. Congress banned TikTok from government devices as part of a bipartisan spending bill in December, several governors removed the app from state computer networks — including at public universities — and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reiterated calls for a full nationwide ban in January.