House Republicans are strengthening their efforts to root out Big Tech's connections to China by calling for greater transparency from tech companies about whether Americans' data is stored on Chinese systems.
Chinese companies are beholden to open their systems up to their government, a concern known as force technology transfer, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., is calling on Big Tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google to be transparent with their users on that vulnerability.
It is the third piece of the "Big Tech Accountability Platform," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers wrote in a memo Wednesday to GOP members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, calling it the "Big Tech and China" initiative, CNBC reported.
Among the highlights of the her memo, per the report:
- Tech companies must be transparent on whether U.S. consumer data is stories or sent to systems in China.
- Companies should notify American customers if they are owned by a state-run Chinese entity or otherwise.
- A review on how application stores vet ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
- Reviewing applications' direct or indirect connections to the CCP.
- Evaluating Big Tech ties to suppliers in China which use forced labor.
- Examining ways to combat sales of counterfeit goods on Big Tech platforms.
- Reviewing how Big Tech vets sellers from China.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is focusing on issues of content and consumer protection and might ultimately work with the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust to weigh future legislation to aid U.S. attempts to root out Big Tech connections to China, according to the report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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