Bill aims to protect military personnel from foreign-owned apps

A bipartisan bill unveiled Friday would take aim at foreign-owned apps used by defense personnel that might provide data and other useful information to U.S. adversaries. 

The legislation, introduced by Reps. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and Jack Bergman, R-Mich., would direct the Pentagon to develop a risk framework for evaluating potentially dangerous apps, then authorize internal guidance for employees on limiting risk from those apps. 

Sherrill and Bergman, both members of the House Armed Services Committee, attached a version of the bill to the House fiscal 2024 defense authorization (HR 2670).

U.S. officials and lawmakers have increasingly raised concerns about the threats posed by foreign-owned apps, including TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. In China, they argue, there is less separation between the public and private sectors, and the apps could provide data and intelligence directly to the Chinese government.

In 2018, the Guardian reported that sensitive information about U.S. military bases had been revealed by the fitness tracking app Strava, including the internal layout of bases in the Middle East — revealed by servicemembers’ logged jogging routes. 

Although the U.S.-owned Strava would not be targeted by the bill, its sponsors say the new legislation would prevent similar, seemingly harmless apps from compromising sensitive information. 

“It is crucial that our national security professionals and servicemembers have all the pertinent information needed to make smart cyber decisions when they are on the job or at home,” Sherrill said in a statement. “We cannot allow a foreign adversary, company, or individual to compromise our national security by targeting an individual's data through a seemingly innocuous app on their phone.”

The Defense Department has already sought to reduce the influence of foreign-owned apps, particularly TikTok. In June, the Pentagon issued a rule banning the presence or use of TikTok on any devices that connect to government systems, including those used by contractors. 

In February, the Biden administration gave federal agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok had been removed from all federal devices.