‘Squad’ Member Defends TikTok Amid Debate Over Possible Ban

As lawmakers debate a potential nationwide ban on the social media platform TikTok, Rep. Jamaal Bowman( D-NY ) defended it.

Concerns have been expressed by Democratic and Republican legislators regarding claims that TikTok user data, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, may be accessed by Chinese Communist Party members. Young leftist House Democrats who make up the” Squad,” Bowman, listed the platform’s alleged advantages during a press conference on Wednesday that was also attended by TikTok content producers.

In a video posted to the system, Bowman claimed that TikTok had” created for 150 million Americans, and counting ,” free speech yard and community. It is also a location where 5 million small businesses are operating and selling their goods and products.

Following a warning from the House’s Chief Administrative Officer regarding national security concerns related to the platform, Bowman, who has about 160,000 followers on TikTok, that stated that the lawmaker did” wait on usage” for the account.

Following the calls for a ban, Reps. Robert Garcia( D-CA ) and Mark Pocan, D-WI, also defended TikTok this week. I have a lot of the similar issues about TikTok’s security and privacy. However, Garcia stated on Wednesday night that more than 100 million Americans use the app, many of whom do so to support small companies and significant economic reasons. ” We should strive for a method that addresses issues and enables the game to proceed.”

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a board that assesses the federal security implications of foreign projects, has been urged by some lawmakers to compel the buyout of ByteDance. Some politicians have called for an outright ban on TikTok. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has reportedly rejected TikTok’s current proposal, Project Texas, which pledged to spend$ 1.5 billion safeguarding user data and preventing Chinese leaders from accessing it.

On Thursday night before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew may support the platform and deny having any significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Younger American social media users spend more time on TikTok than on any other system, which he has frequently noted in an effort to discourage legislators from taking actions against the company.

” I am also aware that there have been worries that ByteDance could be used as or turned into a product of China or the Chinese Communist Party because it has Chinese members.” Chew said in prepared remarks,” There have even been calls to boycott us or want withdrawal. Data flow or get would not be subject to any new limitations following a change in ownership. This is not a matter of citizenship.

GET THE DAILYWIRE + APP BY CLICKING HERE

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. Chew claimed that TikTok is” making changes to name” the protection” errors” it has made.