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Technology |
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Cantwell backs updated bill that could ban TikTok |
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced her support Wednesday for a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. after it was updated to extend the period of time for the sale. |
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act passed the House in a broad bipartisan vote in March, just a week after it was introduced. Support from the Commerce Committee chair clears a path for it to proceed in the upper chamber. "I'm very happy that Speaker [Mike] Johnson [R-La.] and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year. As I've said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation," Cantwell said in a statement Wednesday evening.
The tweak amends one of the concerns critics raised about the bill, specifically that it gave a short time frame for TikTok's parent company to sell the app before it would be banned.
But other lawmakers have raised different concerns that still could emerge as the legislation goes forward. Some progressive Democrats criticized the bill as infringing on users' free speech rights. The update to the bill was made as part of a package of legislation House GOP leaders unveiled Wednesday. In addition to including the forced TikTok sale provision, the legislation also includes new sanctions on Iran, military aide to Ukraine aide in the form of a forgivable loan and a provision to give the federal government authority to use seized Russian assets to pay for the costs of Ukrainian reconstruction. Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Rebecca Klar and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. |
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
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Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Thursday that he is "not in favor" of former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin participating in efforts to purchase TikTok as a bill that would require the app's parent company to divest or face a U.S. ban gains new momentum. "I like some of these ideas about divestiture to American firms and the like," Wyden said at Semafor's World Economy Summit. However, he added, "I am not in favor of … |
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| Instagram's recent decision to move the platform away from political content has sparked concerns among content creators and advocacy groups over which issues will be included. The social media site began rolling out changes last month, following through on previously announced plans to stop recommending political content across Instagram and Threads. Unless users change their settings, they will no longer see political content … |
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Google fired 28 employees Wednesday who protested the tech giant's cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Protesters staged sit-ins Tuesday at two Google offices — New York City and Sunnyvale, Calif. — in protest of the $1.2 billion contract that the company shares with Amazon to provide cloud computing services to Israel. Nine people were arrested. "A small number of employee protesters entered and disrupted … |
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
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Meta releases next generation AI model |
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram has released the next generation of its artificial intelligence (AI) model, known as Llama 3, which it claims represents a "major leap" over its previous version, The Verge reported. |
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Google consolidates AI teams | Google plans to consolidate teams that work on building AI models across its Research and DeepMind divisions, Reuters reported. |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- Tesla will announce its first-quarter financial results on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) got into a heated shouting match during a congressional hearing Wednesday. The two top lawmakers … Read more |
| Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she doesn't care if the "Speaker’s office becomes a revolving door" in Thursday comments as she pushes … Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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