Kelly Backs Bipartisan Bill to Tackle National Security Threats from Foreign Tech like TikTok

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly cosponsored the bipartisan RESTRICT Act, which will comprehensively tackle the ongoing threat posed by technology tied to foreign adversaries, such as TikTok, by giving the Department of Commerce additional tools to review, prevent, and address information communications and technology transactions that pose a risk to our national security.

“There are real national security concerns with an app like TikTok, which has droves of data on millions of Americans that under Chinese law may be turned over to the Chinese government, without so much as notifying users,” said Senator Kelly. “We know this wasn’t the first and won’t be the last time there are national security concerns with a foreign government exploiting technology in the United States. This bipartisan legislation provides the tools to identify potential threats early and address them to better protect the privacy of Americans and our national security.”

The RESTRICT Act establishes a risk-based process that responds to the rapidly changing technology and threat environment by directing the Department of Commerce to identify and mitigate foreign threats to information and communications technology products and services.

The RESTRICT Act would:

• Require the Secretary of Commerce to establish procedures to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, and mitigate transactions involving information and communications technology products in which any foreign adversary has any interest and poses undue or unacceptable risk to national security;

• Prioritize evaluation of information communications and technology products used in critical infrastructure, integral to telecommunications products, or pertaining to a range of defined emerging, foundational, and disruptive technologies with serious national security implications;

• Ensure comprehensive actions to address risks of untrusted foreign information communications and technology products by requiring the Secretary to take up consideration of concerning activity identified by other government entities;

• Educate the public and business community about the threat by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate with the Director of National Intelligence to provide declassified information on how transactions denied or otherwise mitigated posed undue or unacceptable risk.

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