New Bill Could Ban TikTok, Other Foreign Technology Products in US Over Data Collection Concerns

Two US senators plan to introduce legislation this week aimed at letting the government “ban or prohibit” foreign technology products such as Chinese-owned TikTok, Senator Mark Warner said on Sunday.

Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said TikTok would be “one of the potentials” for review under the bill. The Democratic senator made the comments on Fox News Sunday.

The bill comes at a time when TikTok is under intensifying pressure over concerns that data about U.S. users could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday to give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok, in what would be the most far-reaching U.S. restriction on any social media app.

The White House last week gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal devices and systems. More than 30 US states, Canada and European Union policy institutions have also banned TikTok from being loaded onto state-owned devices.

Warner said he was concerned that TikTok “can be a propaganda tool” based on the types of videos it sends to users.

He said the bill he plans to introduce “would say, in terms of foreign technology coming into America, we’ve got to have a systematic approach to make sure we can ban or prohibit it when necessary.”

He said he planned to introduce the legislation this week with Republican Senator John Thune. A spokesperson for Warner said they expected to make an announcement on Tuesday.

Details about the proposed bill were not available on Sunday. A spokesman for Thune did not immediately respond to questions about the plan.

© Thomson Reuters 2023