U.S. legislators are exploring modifications to a proposed bill aimed at granting the Biden administration enhanced authority to prohibit TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance. This revelation emerged from comments by Senator Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a co-sponsor of the legislation.
In an interview with Reuters, Senator Warner acknowledged that intensive lobbying efforts by TikTok had somewhat diminished the momentum of the Restrict Act since its introduction in March.
Warner stated that legislators are preparing a set of amendments designed to clarify and respond to various criticisms of the bill. These concerns include the potential impact on individual Americans and the perception that the legislation could lead to an excessive expansion of government authority.
“We can address these concerns in a thoughtful manner,” Warner noted.
The proposed legislation, which has received backing from the White House, would empower the Commerce Department with new abilities to review, block, and manage transactions involving foreign technology that could pose risks to national security.
“I have to hand it to TikTok—they invested $100 million in lobbying, which has indeed slowed our momentum,” Warner remarked, adding that early on it had appeared the bill’s approval would be nearly effortless.
TikTok has not yet replied to inquiries regarding Warner’s comments about its lobbying efforts.
In March, Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, obstructed a separate attempt to expedite a bill aimed at banning TikTok, which had been introduced by Senator Josh Hawley, who contended that the Restrict Act does not outright ban TikTok but instead grants the president substantial new powers.
The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their interests or risk a ban in the U.S. Previous attempts by former President Trump in 2020 to impose a ban were thwarted by U.S. courts.
Warner indicated that there are ongoing discussions regarding the legislation, suggesting it could be linked to an annual defense bill or included in broader legislation related to China that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is advocating.
He emphasized the necessity for this legislation, stating, “Several new apps controlled by Chinese entities have emerged, and we need a structured, rules-based approach to handle this issue, rather than dealing with each case individually.”
TikTok, which boasts over 150 million American users, claims to have invested more than $1.5 billion in comprehensive data security measures and denies allegations of espionage.
The company is currently contesting a ban imposed by the state of Montana, which is set to take effect on January 1. A judge has scheduled a hearing for October 12 to address TikTok’s objections to the ban.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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