Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, announced on Sunday that legislators plan to advance measures aimed at addressing national security concerns related to TikTok. He expressed fears that data from the popular video app may be accessible to the Chinese government.
The demand for a ban on TikTok, which is operated by the China-based company ByteDance, is increasing across the United States. Additionally, bipartisan support is building for legislation that would grant President Joe Biden’s administration the necessary legal authority to impose a ban. Recently, US government devices were prohibited from having the app installed.
McCarthy took to Twitter to express, “The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.”
It’s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can’t be honest and admit what we already know to be true—China has access to TikTok user data.
The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) March 26, 2023
During a recent appearance before a House Committee lasting approximately five hours, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced questioning from lawmakers regarding national security and other pressing issues concerning the app, which boasts 150 million users in the United States.
When asked if TikTok had spied on Americans at the behest of Beijing, Chew responded, “No.” Republican Representative Neal Dunn referenced a December admission by ByteDance that some employees in China improperly accessed TikTok user data belonging to two journalists, which resulted in their termination. Dunn reiterated his questioning regarding allegations of spying.
Chew contested the characterization of ByteDance’s actions, stating, “I don’t think that spying is the right way to describe it,” before explaining that the reports stemmed from an “internal investigation” but was cut off.
In his tweet, McCarthy voiced disappointment over Chew’s inability to fully acknowledge concerns surrounding user data access by China. “It’s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can’t be honest and admit what we already know to be true — China has access to TikTok user data,” he stated.
TikTok has invested over $1.5 billion in data security efforts through a program dubbed “Project Texas,” which employs nearly 1,500 full-time staff members and collaborates with Oracle to manage the storage of US user data.
Chew’s testimony did not allay lawmakers’ concerns, inciting further likelihood for legislative action, according to Representative Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, in an interview with ABC News.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump faced multiple legal setbacks when he attempted to ban TikTok and another Chinese-owned application, WeChat, which is operated by Tencent.
Amid the controversy, many Democratic lawmakers have also voiced their concerns, though they have yet to explicitly endorse a ban within the United States.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
