The US Senate has taken a major step in protecting its citizens from potential security threats associated with the popular short-form video app TikTok. This week, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban TikTok from government-owned devices of federal employees. This could be a huge move that could have wide-reaching implications for businesses, both in the United States and abroad.

Lawmakers have long been concerned about the potential for data collection by Beijing’s Communist Party due to its Chinese ownership of the app. Additionally, FBI Director Chris Wray has warned that China could use recommendation algorithms for “influence operations” by accessing user data for espionage purposes. This was further supported by leaked audio from ByteDance’s internal meetings obtained by BuzzFeed, along with reported plans of surveilling at least two Americans using their data on TikTok.

With this bill now passed, the Biden administration is now working to negotiate with TikTok in order to keep it running in the US while making changes to its data governance policies. It is unclear what such changes would involve or what consequences there may be should they fail to come up with an acceptable solution. There are some experts who believe that even if these negotiations are successful, this ban can still serve as an example of how much power the US government has when it comes to regulating apps and services under certain conditions.

Businesses should pay close attention to what happens next – depending on how these negotiations play out and any new regulations that may come into effect, it could potentially mean changes for their own usage of social media platforms like TikTok or other services based overseas. Companies should take the time to assess any potential risk factors associated with their usage of such apps and services before making any changes or decisions as a result of this bill’s passing.

Overall, this unanimous decision by the US Senate is definitely something worth paying attention to if you run or manage any sort of business that uses overseas services in your day-to-day operations – especially those based in China like TikTok – as it could mean significant impacts down the line. As we wait and see how these negotiations between TikTok and the Biden administration play out over the coming weeks, businesses should keep an eye out for updates on new regulations or policies concerning data governance so they can make informed decisions accordingly when it comes to their own usage of similar apps and services.