US Senators Present Bill To Give Power To Ban Foreign Apps, Including TikTok

Senator Mark Warner, propose bill banning foreign technology, including TikTok. (photo: twitter @MarkWarner)

JAKARTA - A bipartisan group of 12 US senators submitted legislation on Tuesday, March 7 that would give Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo new powers to ban China's video app TikTok and other foreign technology if it threatens national security.

"I think it's a national security threat," Senator Mark Warner said on CNBC. He added that the bill would give Raimondo "the ability to carry out a series of mitigations up to including banning" TikTok and other technologies that have the potential to increase national security risks. Warner said the bill would apply to foreign technology from six countries - China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

The group, led by Warner and Republican Senator John Thune, includes Democrats Tammy Baldwin, Joe Manchin, Michael Bennett, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Martin Heinrich along with Republicans Deb Fischer, Jerry Moran, Dan Sullivan, Susan Collins, and Mitt Romney, said Warner's office.

Senators will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. ET to reveal the measure.

TikTok, an app owned by ByteDance and used by more than 100 million Americans, has come under increasing criticism over fears that user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, where it could undermine Western security interests. TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, is scheduled to appear before Congress on March 23.

"The White House has provided input on the senators' draft bill," Warner told CNBC. On Monday, March 6, the White House declined to say whether it would support the Senate's bill.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week voted in line with the party on a bill sponsored by lawmaker Michael McCaul to give President Joe Biden powers to ban TikTok after former President Donald Trump was hampered by courts in 2020 in his bid to ban TikTok and the originating messaging app. China, WeChat.

Democratic senators opposed McCaul's bill, saying it was rushed and needed careful review through debate and consultation with experts. Some of the bigger bills aimed at China such as the chip funding bill took 18 months to get approved. McCaul said that he thinks the entire US House of Representatives could vote on this bill this month.