If the Senate Commerce Committee takes up a House-passed bill that would ban TikTok if China’s ByteDance does not divest itself of the popular social media application, committee members probably will propose “multiple amendments” to improve the legislation, the panel’s top Republican said last week.
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
The House of Representatives on March 13 voted 352-65 to pass a bill that would require China’s ByteDance to divest popular social media application TikTok (see 2403050063).
A bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn’t divest the popular social media app will head to the full House of Representatives for consideration this week, said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 50-0 on March 7 to approve a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn't divest the popular social media application.
A leading Senate critic of TikTok said March 6 that he has reservations about a new House bill that would ban the popular social media application in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn't divest the platform.
Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Select Committee on China, introduced a bill March 5 to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless China’s ByteDance divests the social media application.
The European Council and Parliament reached a deal on a new set of rules to ban imports suspected of being made with forced labor, including how the ban will be enforced and how the bloc will investigate and penalize violations.
The U.S. announced a new set of sweeping Russia-related export controls and sanctions last week to mark the two-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and to respond to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny's death in prison. The measures include nearly 100 additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List, more than 500 sanctions designations by the Treasury and State departments and new government guidance, including a new business advisory to warn companies about Russia-related compliance risks.
Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee on Feb. 14 criticized the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s new beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule (see 2401050023), saying it's too complicated and burdensome for small businesses.
EU members last week postponed a vote on new rules that could require companies to conduct specific due diligence on their supply chains to address various environmental and social concerns, including forced labor risks.