Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., clarified that a bipartisan bill to regulate information and communications technology such as TikTok does not single out the social media platform, but would establish a review framework for any technology from a foreign-adversary country that could put U.S. national security at risk.
In a testimony before Senate on Wednesday, Thune stated that he wanted to address misconceptions about the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, which he co-authored with Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a three-time Wash100 recipient.
“Our legislation, which…codifies an executive order issued by President Trump, as well as a subsequent rule by the Trump Commerce Department, would fill in the gaps in current law and ensure that it is possible to address not just traditional risks from foreign-owned companies but the specific threats posed by foreign-owned digital technology,” said Thune, a ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband.
He noted previous efforts by the U.S. government to crack down on companies including Huawei, ZTE and Kaspersky following evidence showing that their commercial devices were being used by home countries China and Russia to penetrate global communication networks.
He also stressed that the RESTRICT Act would direct the Department of Commerce to conduct a review of such information and comms technology products, develop measures and if possible recommend a ban, to mitigate the risks posed by the products.
“Importantly, our bill would ensure transparency by requiring the commerce secretary to coordinate with the director of national intelligence to provide declassified information on why any measures against technology products from foreign-adversary countries were taken,” Thune explained.
