GW Expert Available to Discuss TikTok Ban Legislation Making Its Way Through Congress

Newswise — U.S. President Joe Biden has confirmed he’ll sign a bill banning the popular video-sharing social media platform TikTok in the United States. The legislation passed the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee last week and is expected to come up for a full vote in the House soon. The bill essentially calls on China’s ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok or effectively face a U.S. ban. There’s been concern in Washington to protect American’s data from China.

If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Susan Ariel Aaronson, research professor of international affairs at the George Washington University. Aaronson is the director of the GW Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub and co-PI at the NSF Trustworthy AI Institute, TRAILS, at GW. As part of TRAILS, Aaronson leads research on data and AI governance. At the Hub, Aaronson currently directs projects on governing data for generative AI, ensuring that data is globally accurate, complete, and representative and on AI protectionism. The Hub is the only organization in the world that maps the governance of public, proprietary and personal data at the domestic and international levels. 

Overall, her research focuses on AI governance, data governance, international trade, competitiveness in data-driven services such as XR and AI and digital trade. She has been following the proposed TikTok ban closely. Aaronson also wrote the paper, “Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves,” which asses how these countries respond to data risks posed by popular social media apps.

If you would like to speak with Prof. Aaronson, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].