Amid concerns about TikTok, Commerce details effort to secure U.S. data

This week, the Biden administration addressed U.S. national security concerns over foreign companies’ data handling.

At a U.S. Senate hearing, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, “To secure our communications and technology networks and we are right now in the process of hiring a team to do monitoring, investigation and enforcement.”

Raimondo told Reuters following the meeting that “we’re hiring dozens of people” to “look for any companies that may pose undue security risk to our networks or to our data.”

Congress is considering additional authorities to restrict or ban Chinese-owned TikTok.

Republican Senator Jerry Moran said Biden administration officials informed senators in a secret session on “Foreign adversaries exploitation of America’s data from social media platforms, data brokers and other companies” on Wednesday.

The government stated Under Commerce Secretary for Industry and Security Alan Estevez addressed information and communications technology supply (ICTS) chain threats.

Aides say the Commerce Committee briefing drew 20 senators.

Senators Mark Warner, John Thune, and 24 others introduced the Restrict Act last month to give the Commerce Department unprecedented authority to monitor or restrict foreign transactions that pose national security hazards.

“I think it is a top priority and we need to move with urgency,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at a Senate hearing on Wednesday of the legislation push. “It’s more than one company and a constant pervasive threat and we need the permanent tools properly funded with expertise.”

White House and Raimondo back Restrict. Critics claim the bill overreaches and violates Americans’ civil liberties, particularly TikTok’s 150 million users. Tiktok denies misusing U.S. data.

Raimondo said the department is addressing Chinese threats.

“I’ve put over 200 Chinese companies on the entity list in my tenure and we are actively, constantly investigating additional threats and if and as we think companies need to go onto the list, I will not hesitate,” she said.

The Commerce Department addressed ICTS concerns from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela days before President Donald Trump left office in 2021.