Lawmakers To Advance TikTok Bill, US House Speaker Says

Following the Chairman of the video-sharing app’s testimony before Congress last week, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy( R-CA) declared on Sunday that politicians would advance a calling for a nationwide ban on TikTok.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was contacted by House Energy and Commerce Committee officials to give a testimony before the panels regarding the phone’s 150 million American users’ national security threats, data protection, and safety concerns.

Chew omitted to respond to the question of whether people connected to ByteDance, the social media program Chinese parent company, assisted him in preparing for the receiving. Lawmakers pressed Chew further, asking the CEO if the game had spied on Americans at Bejing’s request.

McCarthy remarked in a tweet,” 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 tiptok user data.” ” The House will be moving along with legislation to shield Americans from the Chinese Communist Party’s modern tentacles.”

It’s really concerning that the Director of TikTok won’t be truthful and acknowledge that China has access to user information for the platform, which is something we also know to be true.

Regulations to shield Americans from the Chinese Communist Party’s modern be will be advanced by the House.

— March 26, 2023, Kevin McCarthy(@ SpeakerMcCarthy )

As both Democratic and Republican legislators have expressed concern over claims that the Chinese Communist Party has access to user information through connections between TikTok and ByteDance, as well as the degree to which Taiwanese authorities maintain control and authority over both companies, McCarthy has hitherto indicated his support for a nationwide ban on the platform.

McCarthy told The Hill,” I believe you can see a bipartisan concern about what’s happening on TikTok, particularly in regards to the content for Americans.” ” There are a lot of different implications around, so I believe they could work together to let the boards handle their work and see how the finished product turns out.”

Chew’s appearance in Congress” actually increased the likelihood that Congress will take some action ,” according to Rep. Mike Gallagher( R-WI ), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi( D – IL ) claimed that TikTok’s alleged threat to national security was not helped by the testimony Chew gave to Congress.

When CEO Shou Zi Chew testified on Thursday, TikTok did itself no benefits, according to a message from Krishnamoorthi. ” In fact, some of his responses only served to increase my concerns about the significant security risks I’ve been working to name.”

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States( CFIUS ), a body that assesses the national security ramifications of international investments, has been asked to force ByteDance to divestiture. Some officials have demanded that TikTok be completely banned.

The CFIUS has reportedly rejected TikTok’s commitment to spend$ 1.5 billion protecting user data and ensuring that Chinese leaders may access consumer information in one prior plan called Project Texas.

Senator Mark Warner( D-VA ) expressed his belief that White House officials support the RESTRICT Act, a bill he co-sponsored that would give the Commerce Department the power to either forbid TikTok or compel its sale to CBS News on Sunday.

According to CBS, the bill would give the government the power to” treat potential risks posed by engineering affiliated with foreign governments by giving the Commerce Department responsibility to review or shun them completely.” The bill has bipartisan support from 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans.

Warner told CBS,” I believe the White House is really in favor of this proposal.” ” We give the secretary of commerce the equipment to forbid, to compel a purchase, and many tools.”

The Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology ( RESTRICT ) Act, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, would give President Biden” additional tools and authorities” to regulate TikTok. In a separate interview with the media, the administration has already endorsed the Act.

According to Kirby, the president has also stated that he has banned the request from authorities devices and that we have serious national security concerns about it.

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Following reports that ByteDance employees in China used the system to track the whereabouts of particular National users, President Joe Biden and many think officials have banned TikTok from public devices due to data security and surveillance concerns.

He claimed that a review of the potential security risks has been ongoing for the council on foreign investment leaders.

Ben Zeisloft made a contribution to this article.