Senators introduce bipartisan bill paving way for possible US TikTok ban

Senate Democrats and Republicans have introduced a bill that would give the administration new powers to ban Chinese apps that pose security threats, including the popular video-sharing platform TikTok.

Mark Warner, the Democratic head of the intelligence committee, announced the bill on Tuesday as part of an effort to create a more co-ordinated approach across the government to address threats from countries including China, Russia and Iran.

The Restrict Act — an acronym for “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology” — would require the commerce secretary to establish a process to identify threats related to communications and information technology and create solutions to address them.

Warner said the legislation would give the commerce secretary added powers, including the authority to ban foreign technology. He added the measure would also tackle areas such as artificial intelligence, financial technology and quantum computing, which he said have not previously been adequately covered by the authorities of the executive branch.

“Over the past several years, foreign technology products from adversarial nations . . . have really tried to establish a foothold in American markets,” said Warner. “Our tools to date had been relatively limited . . . So instead of playing whack-a-mole . . . we need a more comprehensive approach to evaluating and mitigating these threats.”

The measure was introduced by a dozen senators, including Republicans John Thune and Mitt Romney. While it does not mention TikTok by name, the administration’s struggle to reach a solution on how to manage the viral video-sharing app, which the intelligence and security community views as a threat to the US, was a significant driver behind the bill.

Thune said the legislation could lead to TikTok being banned in the US.

The Committee on Foreign Investment — an inter-agency panel that evaluates foreign investment into the US — has been evaluating possible solutions that would address the security threat the administration believes TikTok poses, while allowing the app to continue to operate.

The investigation started after ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, bought Musical.ly in 2017 and merged it with TikTok. But some people within Cfius oppose any compromise solution.

The Restrict Act is one of several pieces of legislation that have been introduced in Congress to address the concerns around TikTok. The House foreign affairs committee last week passed a measure that would give the president the authority to ban TikTok, but it received no support from Democrats, partly because of its narrow focus on one app.

Warner and his colleagues hope that their bill, which focuses on any apps that are believed to pose a threat, will attract broad support.

But some Democrats have expressed concern that banning TikTok would have political implications given its popularity with young people. Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo would have the power to deal with the threats if the bill passes. She recently said a total ban of the video-sharing app would amount to political suicide.

“The politician in me thinks you’re gonna literally lose every voter under 35, forever,” Raimondo told Bloomberg in an interview.

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