Commerce Sec’y: We Shouldn’t Have ‘Witch Hunt’ of Going After One Company like TikTok, Should Be Able to ‘Regulate’

During an interview with Bloomberg on Friday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo responded to a question on whether we should ban things to deal with China’s imbalance on social media and tech by stating that we shouldn’t “get into a witch hunt sort of environment where we go after individual companies by name one at a time” and that she supports the RESTRICT Act that would give the Commerce Department the “ability to investigate and then perhaps regulate companies who have access to our data.”

After Raimondo said that we need to ensure that there’s a level playing field provided by China, co-host Jonathan Ferro asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:26:30] “There is no level playing field. There is a lack of reciprocity when it comes to things like social media and tech. Secretary Raimondo, do you think then that we need to start banning more things here in the United States?”

Raimondo answered, “There is a law called the RESTRICT Act weaving its way through Congress. The chief architect is Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), which I think is excellent and is very sensible. Which is to say, I do not think we should get into a witch hunt sort of environment where we go after individual companies by name one at a time. I do think, which is what this law provides, is more tools to the Commerce Department for constant surveillance ability to investigate and then perhaps regulate companies who have access to our data.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett