White House backs bill that could allow Biden to ban TikTok

The White House on Tuesday announced its support for a new bipartisan bill in the Senate that could give the executive branch power to ban TikTok, a press release said.

The bill, titled Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, was introduced by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (RS.D.) at a press conference on Tuesday. It would allow the Department of Commerce to “prevent certain foreign governments from using technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses a risk to Americans’ sensitive information and our national security,” the press release said.

“This legislation would provide the US government with new mechanisms to mitigate the national security risks posed by high-risk technology companies operating in the United States,” the White House said.

The bill doesn’t mention TikTok by name but appears aimed at giving the president the power to ban the Chinese app if it violates the proposed rule. The legislation would require the Commerce Secretary to establish rules that would identify and mitigate “transactions involving information and communications technology products in which a foreign adversary has an interest and which pose an unreasonable or unacceptable risk to national security,” it said a opinion handed over to the press when it was announced.

In an interview with Fox News, Warner admitted his bill could be used to ban TikTok.

The White House encouraged the Senate to pass the law, saying the bill would “help us address the threats we face today and also prevent such risks from arising in the future.”

Critics argued that the bill could make it harder for the US to ban TikTok.

The bill does not allow the President to ban all “transactions” approved by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), and TikTok is currently under CFIUS scrutiny. However, it is unclear how this decision will turn out.

Others have questioned the idea of ​​giving the president the power to ban foreign apps.

“Amazing to me that we’ve lived through four years of Trump and there are still Democrats who think it’s a great idea to give the President tremendous executive powers to consider and ban speech platforms as a ‘security threat’.” called Evan Greer, director of internet rights group Fight for the Future.

In the statement, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration is “urging Congress to act quickly to send it to the president’s desk.”

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