WASHINGTON, December 9, Reuters - The Biden administration is holding talks among federal agencies about the security of Americans' data and whether the U.S. government has adequate tools.
In June, President Joe Biden withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that tried to ban new downloads of Chinese-owned WeChat and TikTok and ordered a Commerce Department review of security concerns posed by those apps.
The order set a Dec. 6 deadline for Commerce to submit a report on additional executive and legislative actions to address the risks associated with connected software applications that are acquired or accessible by companies that are considered foreign adversaries, in consultation with other government agencies.
A White House official confirmed to Reuters that the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have submitted initial sets of analyses and recommendations in connection with the order, without giving any details.
The administration is engaged in interagency deliberations to make sure that departments and agencies have the tools, authorities and resources needed to protect Americans sensitive data, according to the official. The findings were not released by the administration.
On November 26, the Commerce Department proposed amending regulations on information and communications technology supply chains to add additional criteria to implement Biden's executive order and determine if connected software applications present unacceptable risks.
The Commerce Department said in October it met a separate deadline to make recommendations to protect U.S. data.
The administration of former President Donald Trump tried to prevent new users from downloading Chinese apps and banning other technical transactions, but Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok and WeChat both said they would block the apps U.S. use.
The orders were never taken effect, and were blocked by the U.S. courts.
The Trump administration contended WeChat and TikTok posed national security concerns because sensitive personal data of U.S. users could be collected by China's government. China and the apps denied any improper use of U.S. data.