Bipartisan bill aims at TikTok, other foreign tech

Tiktok Social media network app
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The White House on Tuesday backed a bipartisan bill that would give the president power to regulate and restrict foreign technology companies.

A dozen senators sponsored the legislation that would allow the government to ban companies that pose national security threats from operating in the United States. Technologies from Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba could also be subject to inspection.

Is this connected to TikTok? Though TikTok was not singled out in the bill, senators mentioned the social media giant at a Tuesday news conference about the bill. Many government officials have concerns that the app could be used by Beijing for surveillance.

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The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week advanced a bill that would require the Biden administration to issue a nationwide ban on TikTok if it is found to pose risks to American user data. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is due to appear in Congress on March 23. 

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2023, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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