A coalition of six senators and two representatives from the House of Representatives unveiled new legislation on Wednesday aimed at safeguarding American data from potential misuse by foreign adversaries.
This proposed bill adds to a growing list of measures intended to tackle concerns surrounding the data privacy of Americans utilizing foreign-owned social media platforms, particularly TikTok.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, a Democrat, emphasized that the legislation “would cut off the flow of data to hostile countries, prevent TikTok from transmitting Americans’ personal information to China, and enable nations with robust privacy protections to bolster their partnerships.”
Numerous lawmakers in the United States have voiced apprehensions about TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, perceiving it as a significant threat to the security of American data. This concern is underscored by the platform’s use among over 150 million Americans. TikTok, however, has categorized these allegations as unfounded, asserting it has invested over $1.5 billion in measures to enhance data security.
The proposed legislation would instruct the Department of Commerce to pinpoint types of personal data that could jeopardize U.S. national security and compile a list of high-risk countries from which sensitive data exports would be prohibited.
Additionally, the bill seeks to tighten regulations on the export of personal data by brokers and companies like TikTok to certain foreign governments. It introduces export control penalties for senior executives who are found to have been aware, or should have been aware, that employees were directed to unlawfully export Americans’ personal data.
In March, a House committee voted along party lines to authorize President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to enact a ban on TikTok, yet that initiative has yet to advance further.
Recently, TikTok also initiated a legal challenge against a ban instituted by Montana, the first state in the U.S. to prohibit the widely used short-video application.
Senator Mark Warner remarked on the importance of Congress taking action, noting that the potential for courts to overturn Montana’s ban underscores the necessity for legislation that would grant the president broader powers to restrict or prohibit TikTok and similar foreign-owned applications.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
