WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The Biden administration is taking new steps to protect national security, in particular with apps like TikTok.
TikTok is a Chinese-owned app. Security concerns about numerous countries including China using apps to steal millions of American users’ data aren’t new. But real restrictions, possibly even a ban on the app altogether, could be possible.
Former President Donald Trump raised these concerns, and his administration tried to put restrictions on TikTok, but it ran up against legal challenges.
Now the Biden administration’s Commerce Department is considering new rules that would force companies that own foreign-based apps to submit to audits, possibly leading to bans if it’s proven those apps are being used to steal data.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told NewsNation that when it comes to apps, it’s time Congress modernizes its privacy and cybersecurity across the board.
“China just happens to be one that we’re most concerned with because they’ve exploited data. They’re obviously responsible for a number of high-profile hacks,” Tillis said. “So we have to pay special attention to them. But Congress really needs to modernize policies that haven’t changed since MySpace.”
There are also similar concerns for American companies like Amazon. TikTok is still one of the most popular apps in the world, with more than one billion users.