WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Cammack’s bill, H.R. 750—the “Chinese-owned Applications Using The Information of Our Nation Act of 2023” (CAUTION Act)—passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.
The bill requires any person that sells or distributes a mobile application that the federal government has prohibited for use on government-owned devices must disclose the fact to any individual who downloads, updates, or otherwise uses such an application.
“The CAUTION Act is a critical piece of legislation that warns against the dangers of applications with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). For years, we’ve known about TikTok and its parent company ByteDance’s connections to the Chinese government and their intentional use of Americans’ data. Applications that have been banned on U.S. government devices, including TikTok, represent real threats and it is only right that such disclaimers be required for users to know the risks involved,” said Congresswoman Cammack.
“ByteDance-owned TikTok has knowingly allowed the ability for the Chinese Communist Party to access American user data. I applaud Mrs. Cammack for her work on the CAUTION Act, which requires a warning label for users before downloading the app to make clear to users that the Federal government has deemed the app not fit for government mobile devices. Americans deserve to know how TikTok’s actions impact their privacy and data security, and this bill is an important first step towards ensuring that they do,” said Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
“I want to thank my colleagues from Florida, Reps. Cammack and Soto, for their bipartisan work on the CAUTION Act. This legislation provides additional transparency and advisory labels to ensure users know about the risks of downloading a government-banned mobile app,” said Subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis. “It is a step in the right direction as we work to implement safeguards to inform users and protect Americans’ privacy. I’m particularly proud that one of our newest Subcommittee members, my friend Kat, has shown remarkable leadership to get this bill in the posture to become the first bill that advances from our Subcommittee today.”
“I’m encouraged to see bipartisan support for this legislation on the Energy and Commerce Committee and look forward to its continued path through the House and eventually to the House Floor,” Cammack added.
The federal government banned TikTok on owned devices at the end of the 117th Congress. Several U.S. states have also banned TikTok for use on state government-owned devices, and others are currently considering similar legislation.
The bill heads to a full Energy and Commerce Committee markup later this Congress.
