TikTok has become a hot topic over the last few years. The main issue is the fact that it is owned by China’s government, and there are real fears over privacy on the platform. Many states and even branches of the federal government have banned having TikTok installed on government-owned devices. Now the White House is said to be pressuring congress for more powers to deal with TikTok.
TikTok, once a very partisan issue, now has bipartisan support to find a way to regulate or even ban TikTok to protect Americans’ privacy, according to a report from The New York Times.
A bill being developed by Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, will give the White House the power to regulate apps that put Americans’ data security at risk. It will also allow the White House to regulate apps that could by used by foreign influence campaigns on Americans.
Many are concerned about how broad the bill is. Some fear this could give the federal government vast new powers over all social media. Many, though, agree something needs to be done about TikTok.
This is a major shift for the White House. After taking office, it undid efforts to ban TikTok now it seems to be bringing back similar policies. As there is growing fear that China could use Americans’ personal data to deliver political messages to people’s smartphones.