Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer on Friday outlined a busy agenda for lawmakers returning to Washington, saying they’ll make progress “on a path ahead on TikTok laws.”
The Senate is returning to work subsequent week after a two-week recess. The US Home of Representatives voted 352-65 on March 13 to provide TikTok’s Chinese language proprietor, ByteDance, about six months to divest the US belongings of the short-video app, or face a ban.
Schumer’s assertion didn’t define a particular place on TikTok however mentioned “within the weeks and months forward, we’ve the chance to make progress on bipartisan payments” together with a measure on TikTok.
Congressional aides say there isn’t any speedy motion deliberate on TikTok as senators proceed to debate subsequent steps.
Schumer referenced different bipartisan payments the place progress is feasible together with youngsters’s on-line security, long-stalled rail security laws, low-income web subsidies, hashish banking and efforts to “outcompete the Chinese language authorities.”
Final month, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell mentioned she was contemplating holding a public listening to on a TikTok crackdown invoice and mentioned senators need laws to handle considerations concerning the app.
“The important thing level right here is getting a device that can be utilized to cease international actors from doing deleterious issues that may hurt US residents,” Cantwell mentioned. “We’re get it get completed and we’re not going to take ceaselessly.”
The destiny of TikTok, utilized by about 170 million Individuals, has change into a significant situation in Washington the place lawmakers have been flooded with calls from customers who oppose the laws.
“A ban on TikTok would violate the First Modification rights of 170 million Individuals,” TikTok mentioned on Friday.
Many lawmakers and the Biden administration say TikTok poses nationwide safety dangers as a result of China may compel TikTok to share American consumer information, whereas TikTok insists it has by no means shared US information and by no means would.
TikTok says it has spent greater than $1.5 billion on the hassle to guard US information and home it in the USA.
By David Shepardson; Modifying by Matthew Lewis
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TikTok Attracts Recent Scrutiny From Key US Senate Democrats
Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell mentioned she’s contemplating holding a public listening to on TikTok and social media following a categorized briefing Wednesday with US intelligence officers.
