In response to concerns that some of the most popular applications in America were created in China, Sen. Tim Scott is introducing legislation that would force app shops to disclose the nation where apps are developed and owned before users download them.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., are the original co-sponsors of the “Know Your App Act,” which is being introduced by Scott, R-S.C., the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Tim Scott Enhancing National Security and Empowering Parents
The measure aims to safeguard national security while providing parents with the knowledge they require to safeguard their kids and assist them in making informed decisions.
According to a statement made public on Tuesday, the measure will force the Treasury and Commerce departments to compile a list of antagonistic nations that may have excessive control over data flows, algorithm creation, or application content moderation.
App stores would be required to charge consumers for warning users about the dangers of downloading foreign software and for providing a mechanism of filtering by country of origin.
The legislation comes as politicians from both parties pursue apps created by or supported by Chinese firms.
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The Know Your App Act Targets Chinese-backed Applications
Chinese developers created four of the top five most downloaded apps in March.
Temu, an e-commerce app that is less than a year old, has been investigated for potential malware issues.
Fast fashion e-tailer Shein, founded in China, has been charged with using forced labor despite not being among the top five that month.
The third-most downloaded app in March, TikTok, and its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance were urged to “sever” links by Scott, the ranking member of the Senate Banking committee, for reasons of national security.
ByteDance abides by Chinese national security rules, which under some circumstances grant the government access to extensive company data.
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