Two US senators are planning to introduce new legislation to ban or prohibit foreign technology products, such as TikTok, as reported by NikkeiAsia.
Senator Mark Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that TikTok would be one of the foreign technology products that will be for review under the bill.
TikTok in the US
The bill comes at a time when the Chinese-owned social media platform is under pressure over concerns that the data of US users could end up with the Chinese government. Last week, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to give President Joe Biden the power to ban the platform.
The US government has given government agencies thirty days to make sure that no federal devices or systems contain the app TikTok. Additionally, many US states, as well as Canada and the European Union, have prohibited TikTok from being used on devices owned by the state.
TikTok: A Propaganda Tool?
The reason behind the ban on TikTok across government-based devices is that there are concerns that the platform is being used for propaganda based on the types of videos it sends to users.
The bill in the works will introduce a systematic approach to ensure banning and prohibiting foreign technology from coming into the country is allowed when necessary.
The legislation will likely be introduced this week with Republican Sen. John Thune, with plans to make the announcement on Tuesday.
Warner and Thune are collaborating on a new joint bill that will help protect the United States from potentially dangerous foreign technology. This bill will provide a comprehensive system for regulating and blocking any foreign tech that could threaten American interests, as reported by Fox Business.
If the bill is approved by the Republican-run House, the Senate, which is held by the Democrats, will also have to pass it in some form. This may be difficult to accomplish due to some Democratic legislators who have already voiced their disagreement with the proposed bill.
In the case that the bill passes the Senate, Biden would still need to decide whether to sign or veto it.
This isn't the first time the US government plans to take action against foreign technology, specifically TikTok. Former President Donald Trump declared his intention to ban the app by executive action in 2020. In December 2022, Congress banned the platform as part of a bipartisan spending bill, and several governors have removed the app from state computer networks, including public universities.
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