Bipartisan Senators Call For New Law To Protect TikTok User Data

On Wednesday, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation aimed at safeguarding American data from being exploited by foreign adversaries. The group comprises six senators and two House of Representatives members from both political parties.

Reuters reported that a new bill has been proposed to address concerns about the data of Americans using social media apps owned by foreign countries, such as TikTok.

Senator Ron Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee and is a member of the Democratic Party, claims that the bill would prevent data from being shared with hostile countries, prohibit TikTok from transferring American citizens’ personal data to China, and enable nations with robust privacy safeguards to bolster their partnerships.

Read more: Biden Administration Details Effort To Secure US Data On TikTok

US lawmakers have expressed concerns about potential security risks posed by TikTok, a Chinese-owned platform used by over 150 million Americans. TikTok has denied any improper data use and has invested over $1.5 billion in data security measures.

The proposed legislation would require the Commerce Department to identify personal data categories that may pose a threat to U.S. national security and establish a list of countries deemed high-risk, where the export of sensitive data would be restricted.

The bill proposes regulations for the export of personal data by data brokers and companies such as TikTok to restricted foreign governments. Penalties for export control would be applied to senior executives who were aware or should have been aware of employees illegally exporting Americans’ personal data.