To combat Americans from downloading apps which may originate in a country trying to collect personal information, U.S. Senator James Lankford is calling for app stores to clearly label the country of origin for apps. He’s joined in the effort by U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi.
They have introduced the Know Your App Act. If signed into law, it would require app stores to display the country where apps are developed and owned.
“Seeing ‘Made in China’ on nearly any product nowadays is frustrating to Oklahomans trying their best not to prop up the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese government with their hard-earned money,” said Lankford. “We already see the ways the TikTok app is a dangerous extension of the CCP that is collecting every user’s personal data and all of their contacts. I want the ‘Made in China’ label and labels for any other countries where apps like TikTok originate to be clearly marked when and where they are downloaded. Americans should remain free to buy items from wherever they want, but the least Big Tech can do is label where Americans’ money is going when they download in the app store.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, four of the five top apps in the U.S. were made in China.
