Hawley Introduces Security Bill Addressing Data, Privacy Concerns

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) addresses the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Policy Conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center Auditorium in Washington, on June 27, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A bill (pdf) to fight the flow of Americans’ sensitive personal data to China and other countries that threaten national security was introduced on Nov. 18 by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in the wake of a hearing that raised concerns over Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.

TikTok had said it’s hired a U.S.-based auditing firm to analyze the app’s data security practices, in a letter to lawmakers at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing chaired by Hawley on Nov. 5.