The U.S. sanctioned two Russian companies and their leaders for helping the country’s government carry out a “foreign malign influence campaign,” including by impersonating government organizations and European media outlets.
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.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the U.S. House of Representatives’ March 13 passage of a bill to require China’s ByteDance to divest itself of social media application TikTok (see 2403130051), saying the vote falls on the “wrong side of the principles of fair competition and international trade rules.”
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.
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.