• 2020 saw the CFIUS order ByteDance to divest TikTok.
• The bill is introduced as Washington has recently been more scrutinising of TikTok. 
• TikTok's US operations, according to FBI Director, are a national security risk.

In response to US concerns that the app could be used to censor content and spy on Americans, Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday unveiled bipartisan legislation to outlaw the popular social media app TikTok from China. The announcement increased pressure on the app's owner ByteDance.

A companion bill in the US House of Representatives was sponsored by Republican congressman Mike Gallagher and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, according to a news release from Rubio's office. The legislation would block all transactions from any social media company based in or influenced by China and Russia. A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that it was 'troubling that some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States,' adding that the company would continue to update lawmakers on the plans that are 'well underway' to 'further secure our platform in the United States.' 

The bill was introduced as TikTok has been under increased scrutiny in Washington in recent weeks following the Trump administration's failed attempt to outlaw the video-sharing app. TikTok's US operations raise national security concerns, according to FBI Director Chris Wray, who raised the issue at a hearing last month. He noted the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to influence users or take control of their devices.
Due to worries about national security, Alabama and Utah on Monday joined other US states in outlawing the use of TikTok on state government computers and smartphones. Attempts by the then-President Donald Trump to prevent new users from installing TikTok and to forbid other transactions that would have virtually prevented the usage of the applications in the United States in 2020 were unsuccessful after a number of legal challenges.

Concerned that US user data would be transferred to China's communist government, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a significant national security committee inside the US government, ordered ByteDance to divest from TikTok in 2020. In order to secure the data of TikTok's more than 100 million users, CFIUS and TikTok have been in negotiations for months. 

The outcome has demonstrated that fusion ignition is feasible, but it will require a lot of effort to increase the efficiency to the point where fusion can produce a net positive energy return when considering the full end-to-end system. Fusion conditions are extremely difficult to maintain, and even the slightest flaw in the fuel or capsule can increase the amount of energy needed and reduce efficiency. 

Although much work has been done to increase the efficiency of the energy transfer from the laser to the canister and the X-ray radiation transfer from the canister to the fuel capsule, only 10% to 30% of the total laser energy is now delivered to the canister and the fuel.

Last but not least, whereas deuterium, one component of the fuel, is naturally abundant in sea water, tritium is much less common. Tritium is actually created during fusion, thus scientists are working to find a direct technique to extract it. There are alternate ways to make the required fuel in the interim. 

Before fusion can create electricity for your home, numerous technical, scientific, and engineering challenges must be overcome. Additionally, work will be required to significantly reduce the price of a fusion power plant from the US$3.5 billion of the National Ignition Facility. Both the federal government and private sector will need to make large investments in these actions.

It's important to note that there is a worldwide race to develop fusion energy, and numerous labs are competing by using various methods. However, the world has now seen proof for the first time thanks to the latest finding from the National Ignition Facility that the goal of fusion is feasible.