U.S. tech companies are pushing to narrow the scope of legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S., creating new obstacles as the Biden administration seeks to confront China’s influence.
The Information Technology Industry Council, which represents companies including International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc., is among groups lobbying to narrow the legislation, according to people familiar with those conversations who asked not to be named discussing the politically sensitive issue. Companies that make both hardware and software are worried they could become ensnared by a Senate bill that’s been gaining momentum and is aimed at TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app, the people said.
The fierceness of the opposition may close down an opportunity for the Biden administration to extricate itself from a long-stalled national security review of the popular app with the goal of walling off U.S. data from potential Chinese access.
