Republican And Democrat Senators Join Forces In Call For TikTok Crackdown

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Jerry Moran, (R-KS) exhorted Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Force the divestment TikTok ByteDance has your Chinese Parent company

ByteDance is located in Beijing and has been accused of keeping close ties with the Chinese Communist Party. Blumenthal suggested it in a Thursday meeting with Moran Let me know Yellen suggested that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (a nine-member cabinet-level board charged with reviewing the national security consequences of foreign investments in American companies) should force ByteDance from TikTok operations within the United States.

“TikTok, which collects the sensitive information of tens of millions of American users and plays an increasing role in our society, is well within the scope of CFIUS’s national security mandate,” The lawmakers disagreed. CFIUS required that Beijing Kunlun Company be established. Get rid Four years ago, it was part of LGBTQ dating platform Grindr and Healthcare platform PatientsLikeMe under the Trump administration.

Blumenthal and Moran also pointed out that ByteDance acknowledged, at the end last year, that staff had been absent. “spied on the private data of journalists and others in order identify sources behind articles critical of the company.” This revelation confirmed an earlier Report Forbes stated that ByteDance was planning to track the locations of specific American citizens.

“This bombshell disclosure demonstrates that TikTok and ByteDance cannot be trusted by CFIUS or its tens of millions of users in the United States,” The letter was continued. “Therefore, CFIUS should impose structural separations and firm restrictions on ByteDance’s ability to: access Americans’ personal data; make decisions about content moderation; control its algorithmic recommendation systems; and oversee its U.S. operations.”

These two lawmakers represent the latest on both sides to examine the national security implications for allowing American consumers to use TikTok. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) Press Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai earlier this month to remove the site from the companies’ app stores.

President Joe Biden Signed TikTok cannot be used on devices owned by the federal governments. However, several states including Iowa, Alabama and Nebraska have previously banned the use of the platform from their devices. Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO, is scheduled to address the audience. Testify Next month, before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Following the recent passage of at least one Chinese surveillance satellite across the United States continental, renewed controversy surrounds TikTok as well as wider Sino-American relations. The vessel passed Montana, home to many missile silos and defense assets, then Been there. Over states like Missouri and Kansas before the object was shot down Coast of the Carolinas.

The White House is now To be expected A recent executive order prohibiting American funds from funding the development of Chinese advanced silicon semiconductors, quantum computing and other technologies with surveillance or military applications was announced. Report The New York Times. According to another report, Yellen spent months contacting top officials in the administration to forecast the economic impact of the executive order. Report Axios published last month. The news of the almost completed measure was announced as lawmakers threatened to pursue investment restrictions without federal plans.