While TikTok is not specifically mentioned in the bill, companies in adversarial countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela are. TikTok has repeatedly denied storing US user data in China, which is a major source of concern for federal officials. Rather than targeting TikTok as a company, the bill would establish a framework for evaluating and punishing foreign companies that pose a threat to US security.
Warner’s Senate bill
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the legislation, which establishes a formal process for government agencies to “deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, or otherwise mitigate” threatening services. Companies with access to “sensitive personal data” from over 1 million US citizens may be forced to cut ties with TikTok or similar entities. The bill gives the Commerce Secretary a few minor tools for mitigating risky transactions, such as compelling companies to divest services.
TikTok’s reaction
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter responded to the Warner bill by claiming that it was unnecessary. “The Biden Administration does not require additional authority from Congress to address national security concerns about TikTok: it can approve the deal negotiated with CFIUS over two years and reviewed over the last six months,” Oberwetter said in a statement to The Verge. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee later this month.
Project Texas on TikTok
On Monday, a TikTok representative unveiled Project Texas, the company’s most significant effort to mitigate foreign threats to US data. The proposal would separate the majority of TikTok’s US operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Oracle, founded by Larry Ellison, would be involved in auditing American data flows.
The requirement for a strategic approach
Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), a co-sponsor of the Warner bill, stated in a statement that the federal government cannot continue to respond to new foreign technology from adversarial nations on an as-needed basis. “We need a long-term strategy to protect Americans and our national security,” he said. The bill follows a separate proposal that targeted TikTok. The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently passed legislation restricting access to the video-sharing app.
Featured image: Solen Feyissa, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
