Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders said Tuesday that state officials plan to file three separate lawsuits against TikTok and Facebook and Instagram owner Meta, accusing the social media giants of pushing addictive and damaging content on children.
The governor&#8217;s office said the lawsuits would fall under the state&#8217;s Deceptive Trade Practices Act, prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.
&#8220;We have to hold Big Tech companies accountable for pushing addictive platforms on our kids and exposing them to a world of inappropriate, damaging content,&#8221; Sanders said in a statement to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arkansas-sues-social-media-giants-addictive-effect-kids-rewiring-how-our-children-think?intcmp=tw_fnc">Fox News Digital</a>. &#8220;Arkansas is leading the charge on filing three lawsuits against TikTok and Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram.&#8221;
The governor&#8217;s office said the legal actions come after a decade of watching social media companies evade government oversight while exploiting children for profit, pledging her administration would not tolerate &#8220;the failed status quo.&#8221; Sanders further accused Meta of putting the company&#8217;s growth &#8220;at all costs&#8221; before the well-being of children.
One lawsuit has already been filed against Meta for &#8220;targeting young users of its products to the detriment of their mental and physical health,&#8221; Fox News reported.
Meta is &#8220;rewiring how our children think, feel and behave.&#8221; Sanders&#8217; office said, adding the company allegedly publicly misled consumers about the addictive nature of its products.
&#8220;The youth of Arkansas are the direct victims of Meta&#8217;s actions, and Meta should be held accountable.&#8221; Sanders&#8217; office said.
State officials have also filed two separate lawsuits against ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, which has faced ongoing criticism in the United States for allegedly threatening national security. The app has been accused of driving narratives that divide Americans against each other.
According to the one lawsuit reported by Fox News, it pertains to the &#8220;abundance of posts dealing with mature themes, nudity and drugs viewed by minors despite TikTok&#8217;s claims that such posts are unavailable to maintain teenager-approved ratings on various application stores.&#8221;
While the other lawsuit relates to the &#8220;deception by TikTok that the user data of Arkansans is safe from access by the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
&#8220;China is a foreign adversary that is targeting our children through social media in a serious challenge to American values,&#8221; Sanders&#8217; office said. &#8220;China is also threatening our nation&#8217;s security and our citizens&#8217; privacy by leveraging information technologies like TikTok against the United States.
President Joe Biden and several state officials have banned TikTok from government devices over data security and surveillance concerns after reports indicated that ByteDance staffers in China used the platform to monitor the locations of specific American users.
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-to-advance-tiktok-bill-us-house-speaker-says">announced</a> Sunday that lawmakers would advance legislation proposing a nationwide ban on TikTok after the video-sharing app&#8217;s CEO testified before Congress last week.
House Energy and Commerce Committee officials called on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to testify before the panel over their national security threats, data privacy, and safety issues for the app&#8217;s 150 million American users.
During the hearing, Chew neglected to answer whether individuals associated with ByteDance, the social media platform&#8217;s Chinese parent company, helped him prepare for the hearing. Lawmakers further pressed Chew asking if the app has spied on Americans at the request of Bejing, which the CEO denied.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can&#8217;t be honest and admit what we already know to be true—China has access to TikTok user data,&#8221; McCarthy wrote in a tweet. &#8220;The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Announces Education Proposal

Arkansas To File Lawsuits Against Social Media Giants For Pushing ‘Addictive, Damaging’ Content On Children

Arkansas To File Lawsuits Against Social Media Giants For Pushing 'Addictive, Damaging' Content On Children

Arkansas

Chinese Communist Party

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

TikTok

U.S.

Every once in a while there’s a political no-brainer. Something along the lines of: The Chinese Communist Party is using an app to data mine and influence American kids — should we put a stop to it?
For any sane, fully grown adult the answer to this question is obviously: Yes. Yes we should stamp out this evil weed as soon as possible. And yet for progressive Democrats the answer is oddly, no.
Why?
Last week, when asked if his company is giving user data to the Chinese Communist Party, the Singaporean CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, hemmed, hawed, and stammered in his congressional testimony.
This is the same CCP that refuses to allow an investigation into the origins of COVID and recently flew a spy balloon on a cross country vacation courtesy of the Biden Administration.
But we are just supposed to accept that it&#8217;s fine and dandy if the Chinese government has access to every other ten minutes of our children’s lives.
With over one billion worldwide users, TikTok is now the social media opioid of today’s youth. 
The comical congressman from New York Jamaal Bowman gave us a pretty good idea why Democrats are kowtowing to the communist social media platform. He says “Republicans ain’t got no swag — that’s why they want a ban.”
It&#8217;s a very telling statement. It shows Democrats have honed in on the TikTok generation, young millennials and Gen Z as their ticket to future power, and it looks like a good bet.
After all, our elderly Democrat president loves having TikTok stars over to the White House to talk about climate change alarmism and men becoming women, and Vice President Harris is a regular feature on the communist platform. 
Then there’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who has mastered the art of the wine-infused political social media rant, the congresswoman doesn’t just represent Queens, she’s now a TikTok queen herself.
This week she <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/nyregion/aoc-tiktok-ban-video.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made her debut</a> on the Chinese juggernaut platform in gleeful support of the company, and why not? What better way to support socialism?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) put it well saying, “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.” Indeed. 
But this is bigger than TikTok. The Democrats have been channeling their inner Whitney Houston, insisting that the children are our present for years now, from Greta Thunberg to Kyle Kashuv.
And it seems to be working. Polling shows that unlike previous generations, Millennials are not becoming more conservative as they age, instead, for many of them, their progressive values are settling in like a pungent cheese. 
Compared to past generational cohorts, Americans under 40 are in a kind of ideological arrested development. The <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767cf4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Financial Times</a> put it bluntly in a recent headline, “Millennials are shattering the oldest rule in politics.”
Their study found that historically a 35-year-old should be about 5% less conservative than the average person, instead today that number is 15% less, and for younger Americans the numbers are even more stark.
What the Democrats are doing is stoking a kind of generational warfare, a narrative in which the Boomers destroyed America for their kids, or as a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/14/opinion/middle-age-millennials.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion piece</a> recently put it, “Millennials Are Hitting Middle Age — And It Doesn’t Look Like What We Were Promised.”
You will have to pardon my Gen X incredulity when I say we were also promised all that stuff, that we can be whatever we want, that our dreams will all come true, we just weren’t naive enough to believe it.
The Democrats need TikTok because it is the place where young adults and children escape reality, where they really can be whatever they want to be, no avatar is out of reach, no pronoun too absurd. 
The Democrats have become a Mad Hatter political party in which science is public relations, policing is perverse, borders are irrelevant and we are 10 minutes away from climate devastation.
You know what platform is pitch perfect for proliferating these preposterous ideas? You guessed it, TikTok.
That two minute Karen who catches your eye confessing her privilege and professing her allyship, those sincere seconds with the very serious scientist urging you to get your 15th COVID booster shot, teachers unions doing horrible, horrible group dances. It’s all on TikTok.
Pandering to young voters is nothing new for Democrats, and frankly, it often doesn’t work. Shockingly, 22-year-olds are not the most reliable voters, but this is something deeper.
Put simply, by siding with TikTok progressive Democrats are undermining American interests and all but signaling that they want to partner with communist China for cultural control of our kids.
This is not a situation that the American people — especially American parents — will put up with. It’s a Trojan horse with a big sign around its neck that reads “I’m a Trojan horse.”  We all see it.
Pay close attention to the Democrats who support the Chi Com app, not to doubt their patriotism, but to doubt their good sense.
The threat that China poses to the United States and the West is very real, the neoliberal salad days awash in wishes of bringing the great dragon into the community of democratic free market nations are over.
Democrats who think TikTok is their friend should be careful what they wish for. Congressman Bowman may think that his TikTok swag is setting trends, but it&#8217;s just as likely that he is following trends approved by the CCP.
And therein lies the rub. Will Democrats protect Americans from malign foreign intelligence operations even if they accrue to their political benefit? 
So far, the answer seems to be no.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
David Marcus is a West Virginia based columnist and author of “Charade: The Covid Lies That Crushed A Nation.”
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Press Conference with TikTok Creators at U.S. Capitol in Support of Free Expression

‘Republicans Ain’t Got No Swag’: Why Progressives Go Out Of Their Way To Oppose TikTok Ban

‘Republicans Ain't Got No Swag’: Why Progressives Go Out Of Their Way To Oppose TikTok Ban

Congress

Democrats

Readers Pass

Social Media

An organization that Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alexandria-ocasio-cortez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (D-NY) is a member of has accepted sizable donations from ByteDance, the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> parent company of the social media platform <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>, which the democratic socialist recently defended from a possible nationwide ban.
Jake Denton, a technology policy expert at the Heritage Foundation, <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJDenton/status/1639992544766357506" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the advisory council for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit entity that received $150,000 at the end of last year from ByteDance, according to a lobbying contribution <a href="https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/d373b963-30ad-4688-b7ae-720e1b4730e7/print/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. “What a coincidence,” Denton said on social media.
Ocasio-Cortez recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-takes-to-tiktok-to-defend-chinese-owned-app-from-possible-nationwide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarked</a> on TikTok that a ban of the platform over national security and privacy concerns would be “unprecedented” and said that such a move does not “really address the core of the issue, which is the fact that major social media companies are allowed to collect troves of deeply personal data about you that you do not know about.” She added that lawmakers should instead pass a broader data privacy bill for social media firms.
“The United States is one of the only developed nations in the world that has no significant data or privacy protection laws on the books,” she remarked, asserting that regulators should “actually protect Americans from this kind of egregious data harvesting that companies can do without your significant ability to say no.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has also publicly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/squad-member-defends-tiktok-amid-debate-over-possible-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> TikTok. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, while his wife, Melissa Oppenheimer, has <a href="https://www.cbcfinc.org/about/cbc-spouses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked</a> with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which also received $150,000 from ByteDance.
“TikTok as a platform has created a community and a space for free speech for 150 million Americans and counting,” Bowman said last week. “It is also a place where 5 million small businesses are selling their products and services and making a living.”
Renewed scrutiny of TikTok, which former President Donald Trump considered banning at the end of his term, comes amid increasingly strained relations between the United States and China. President Joe Biden and some state officials have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-unanimously-votes-to-ban-tiktok-on-government-devices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> TikTok from government devices after reports <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktoks-parent-company-in-china-planned-to-use-platform-to-track-locations-of-specific-americans-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that ByteDance employees in China used the platform to monitor the locations of specific American users.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-swears-company-is-not-an-agent-of-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week about the extent to which officials in China maintain authority and influence over TikTok and ByteDance, vowing that the latter is not an “agent of China or any other country.”
<div class="css-j7qwjs">
<div id="post-body-text">
<div class="e1nzmkc90 css-15jw47d">
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-1306">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
“I am well aware that the fact that ByteDance has Chinese founders has prompted concerns that our platform could be used as or become a tool of China or the Chinese Communist Party. There have even been calls to ban us or require divestment,” the executive said. “Divestment does not address the fundamental concerns that I have heard, as a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access. This is not an issue of nationality.”
When pressed by lawmakers, however, Chew <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-refuses-to-say-whether-officials-at-chinese-parent-company-helped-him-prepare-for-hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to provide a clear answer on whether individuals associated with ByteDance helped him prepare for his testimony. He admitted that the attorneys who represent TikTok also represent ByteDance.

‘What A Coincidence’: Massive Donations Come To Light After AOC Defends TikTok From Possible Ban

Donations From TikTok's Owner Come To Light After AOC Defends Company From Possible Ban

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

China

Jamaal Bowman

National Security

Politics

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced Sunday that lawmakers would advance legislation proposing a nationwide ban on TikTok after the video-sharing app&#8217;s CEO testified before Congress last week.
House Energy and Commerce Committee officials called on TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to testify before the panel over their national security threats, data privacy, and safety issues for the app&#8217;s 150 million American users.
During the hearing, Chew neglected to answer whether individuals associated with ByteDance, the social media platform&#8217;s Chinese parent company, helped him prepare for the hearing. Lawmakers further pressed Chew asking if the app has spied on Americans at the request of Bejing, which the CEO denied.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can&#8217;t be honest and admit what we already know to be true—China has access to TikTok user data,&#8221; McCarthy wrote in a tweet. &#8220;The House will be moving forward with legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can&#39;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.
&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1639980623539445760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McCarthy has previously signaled he would support a nationwide ban on TikTok as both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns over allegations that the Chinese Communist Party has access to user data through links between TikTok and ByteDance, as well as the extent to which authorities in China maintain power and influence over both entities.
&#8220;I think you see a bipartisan concern here with what&#8217;s happening on TikTok, especially what&#8217;s happening to the data for Americans,&#8221; McCarthy <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3919146-mccarthy-says-house-will-press-ahead-with-tiktok-bill-after-ceos-testimony/">told</a> The Hill. &#8220;There&#8217;s many different ramifications here, so I think they could come together and let the committees do their work and see what the product comes out when it gets done.&#8221;
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-speaker-says-lawmakers-move-forward-with-tiktok-bill-2023-03-26/?taid=6420b2571e537d000149c997&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter">told</a> ABC News on Sunday that Chew&#8217;s appearance in Congress &#8220;actually increased the likelihood that Congress will take some action.&#8221;
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said Chew&#8217;s testimony to Congress failed to help TikTok&#8217;s alleged threat to national security.
&#8220;TikTok did itself no favors on Thursday when CEO Shou Zi Chew gave his testimony,&#8221; Krishnamoorthi wrote in a <a href="https://twitter.com/CongressmanRaja/status/1640084958885842945?s=20">tweet</a>. &#8220;In fact, some of the answers he gave only raised more questions about the enormous existing security risks I&#8217;ve been fighting to address.&#8221;
Some officials have called for a wholesale ban on TikTok, while others have asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a board that evaluates the national security implications of international investments, to force a divestiture from ByteDance.
TikTok committed — in one recent proposal called Project Texas — to spend $1.5 billion protecting user data and ensuring that Chinese officials cannot access user information; the CFIUS has reportedly rejected the proposal.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) told CBS News&#8217; &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-warner-tiktok-white-house-supports-bill-bigger-fears-how-data-is-used-china-face-the-nation/">Face The Nation</a>&#8221; on Sunday that he believes White House officials support the RESTRICT Act, a bill he co-sponsored that would give the Commerce Department authority to ​either ban TikTok or force its sale.
The bill, which has bipartisan support from 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans, would give the government authority to &#8220;address possible threats posed by technologies affiliated with foreign governments by giving the Commerce Department authority to review or ban them entirely,&#8221; CBS reported.
&#8220;I think the White House is very in favor of this bill,&#8221; Warner told CBS. &#8220;We give the secretary of Commerce the tools to ban, to force a sale, other tools.&#8221;
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the outlet in a separate interview the Biden administration has already endorsed the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, which he said would give President Biden &#8220;additional tools and authorities&#8221; to regulate TikTok.
&#8220;The president&#8217;s already said we absolutely have national security concerns about that application, and he&#8217;s banned it from government devices,&#8221; Kirby said.
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-1306">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
President Joe Biden and several state officials have banned TikTok from government devices over data security and surveillance concerns after reports indicated that ByteDance staffers in China used the platform to monitor the locations of specific American users.
He said that the committee on Foreign Investment officials has been conducting an ongoing review, which examines the potential security risks.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report

House Minority Leader McCarthy Speaks During Weekly Press Conference

Lawmakers To Advance TikTok Bill, US House Speaker Says

Kevin McCarthy

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-platform-should-be-banned-congresswoman-rips-into-tiktok-ceo-for-targeting-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cathy McMorris Rodgers</a> (R-WA) said Sunday that Congress should pass a ban on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> and a federal data privacy law.
Appearing on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; Sunday, McMorris Rodgers said that TikTok&#8217;s relationship with the Chinese company ByteDance is a threat to the privacy and safety of American citizens but added that the U.S. needs a national data privacy law to stop other tech giants from stealing Americans&#8217; data.
&#8220;What we are seeing is that TikTok and Mr. Chew have repeatedly been caught in this lie that there&#8217;s not a connection to ByteDance and ultimately the [Chinese Communist Party],&#8221; McMorris Rodgers said. &#8220;So they cannot be trusted to protect our data. They cannot be trusted to ensure that our children&#8217;s mental health is a priority.&#8221;
&#8220;We need a national data privacy standard also,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And that&#8217;s what Ranking Member [Frank] Pallone (D-NJ) and I have worked on and we&#8217;re going to introduce this Congress, because we need to take action, whether it&#8217;s TikTok, big tech, or other data brokers, to restrict the amount of data that they&#8217;re collecting to begin with.&#8221;
&#8220;We need to ensure that individuals have the right to know what their profile might be or it &#8212; or to be alerted if their information, their personal data is being accessed or transferred to another country like China. We need to protect kids, and we have the strongest protections for kids in the privacy proposal that we have been working on to protect anyone under the age of 17. And we need to stop this listening on devices of people.&#8221;
McMorris Rodgers said that a ban on TikTok should take priority.
&#8220;I would say there&#8217;s an immediate threat via TikTok from the Chinese Communist Party, that is the reason that I believe we need to ban TikTok immediately.&#8221;
New York Democratic Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-takes-to-tiktok-to-defend-chinese-owned-app-from-possible-nationwide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> called for a national data privacy law on Saturday while at the same time defending TikTok from a bipartisan effort to ban the Chinese-owned app.
AOC said that banning TikTok “doesn’t really address the core of the issue, which is the fact that major social media companies are allowed to collect troves of deeply personal data about you that you don’t know about, without really any significant regulation whatsoever.”
“In fact, the United States is one of the only developed nations in the world that has no significant data or privacy protection laws on the books,” she said. Instead of banning TikTok, which has 150 million users, outright, the answer is to “actually protect Americans from this kind of egregious data harvesting that companies can do without your significant ability to say no,” she added.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Testifies At U.S. House Hearing

Top GOP Rep. Says Congress Should Pass A TikTok Ban And A Federal Data Privacy Law

Big Tech

House Republicans

Privacy

State of the Union

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alexandria-ocasio-cortez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandria Ocasio Cortez</a> (D-NY) entered the debate about a nationwide ban on Chinese-owned social media app <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>.
The Democratic Socialist and member of the left-wing &#8220;Squad&#8221; took to TikTok on Saturday morning to push back against bipartisan support for a nationwide ban on the app. AOC minimized concerns about security and data privacy, saying that TikTok was just one app that harvests massive troves of data. Instead of banning a single app, she called for a broader data privacy law.
“Do I believe TikTok should be banned? No,” AOC opened. The <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@aocinthehouse/video/7214318917135830318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> is her first post on the app, despite having created the account more than a year ago.
“First of all, I think it&#8217;s important to discuss how unprecedented of a move this would be,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The United States has never before banned a social media company from existence, from operating in our borders and this is an app that has over 150 million Americans on it,”
Ocasio-Cortez first discussed criticisms that the app is a vessel for Chinese surveillance, and that it steals user data. She minimized those concerns, saying that banning TikTok “doesn’t really address the core of the issue, which is the fact that major social media companies are allowed to collect troves of deeply personal data about you that you don’t know about, without really any significant regulation whatsoever.&#8221;
“In fact, the United States is one of the only developed nations in the world that has no significant data or privacy protection laws on the books,” she said. Instead of banning TikTok, which has 150 million users, outright, the answer is to &#8220;actually protect Americans from this kind of egregious data harvesting that companies can do without your significant ability to say no,&#8221; she added.
Ocasio-Cortez also criticized the national security concerns about the app. When Congress is considering legislation that has national security implications, they are given a classified briefing; Congress has not received a classified briefing. “Why would we be proposing a ban regarding such a significant issue without being clued in on this at all?&#8221; she asked. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.” She also said that Congress needs to make its case for banning TikTok to the public.
&#8220;But frankly, I think a lot of this is putting the cart before the horse,&#8221; she concluded. &#8220;Our first priority should be in protecting your ability to exist without social media companies harvesting and commodifying every single piece of data about you without you and without your consent.&#8221;
As of the publishing of this article, the video has garnered more than 2.3 million views.
AOC is not the first member of the Democratic Party to oppose a ban on TikTok. Her &#8220;Squad&#8221; colleague Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/squad-member-defends-tiktok-amid-debate-over-possible-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamaal Bowman</a> (D-NY), posted a video on the app Thursday lobbying against a ban. “TikTok as a platform has created a community and a space for free speech for 150 million Americans and counting,” Bowman said in the video. “It is also a place where 5 million small businesses are selling their products and services and making a living.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) also defended TikTok this week.

AOC Takes To TikTok To Defend Chinese-Owned App From Possible Nationwide Ban

AOC Takes To TikTok To Defend Chinese-Owned App From Possible Nationwide Ban, Calls For Data Privacy Law Instead

The Squad

Officials in China “resolutely oppose” a potential forced sale of social media platform <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tiktok?_gl=1*lx8xxn*_ga*NzUzNDA5ODIxLjE2NzkzMjkzNzM.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY3OTY2MzY2Ni4xOS4xLjE2Nzk2NzA4MjAuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> in the United States from its <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china?_gl=1*lx8xxn*_ga*NzUzNDA5ODIxLjE2NzkzMjkzNzM.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY3OTY2MzY2Ni4xOS4xLjE2Nzk2NzA4MjAuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> parent company, a move that many American lawmakers have floated in response to national security and data privacy issues linked to the company.
Both Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns over allegations that user information on TikTok can be accessed by employees of ByteDance, the Chinese technology firm which owns TikTok, and associates of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ccp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese Communist Party</a>. Shu Jueting, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, remarked on Thursday that officials will not permit a forced divestiture of TikTok from ByteDance, according to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-tiktok-security-technology-social-media-2245e433b5854010ebd99b7987fc78ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Associated Press.
“If the news is true, China will resolutely oppose it,” she told reporters at a news conference, adding that the sale “would seriously damage investors from multiple countries including China” and hurt “confidence to invest in the United States.”
The remarks came hours before TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the extent to which officials in China maintain authority and influence over TikTok and ByteDance. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-swears-company-is-not-an-agent-of-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> that the latter is not an “agent of China or any other country” in his opening remarks.
“I am well aware that the fact that ByteDance has Chinese founders has prompted concerns that our platform could be used as or become a tool of China or the Chinese Communist Party. There have even been calls to ban us or require divestment,” Chew testified. “Divestment does not address the fundamental concerns that I have heard, as a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access. This is not an issue of nationality.”
Some officials have called for a nationwide ban on TikTok, while others have pressed the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a board that evaluates the national security ramifications of international investments, to mandate a divestiture from ByteDance. TikTok committed in one recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-orders-chinese-company-behind-tiktok-to-sell-the-platform-or-face-nationwide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> called Project Texas to spend $1.5 billion protecting user data and ensuring that Chinese officials cannot access user information.
President Joe Biden and multiple state officials have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-unanimously-votes-to-ban-tiktok-on-government-devices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> TikTok from government devices after reports <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktoks-parent-company-in-china-planned-to-use-platform-to-track-locations-of-specific-americans-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that ByteDance staffers in China used the platform to monitor the locations of specific American users. Lawmakers appeared broadly unconvinced on Thursday that a divestiture would address their concerns.
“From the data it collects to the content it controls, TikTok is a grave threat of foreign influence in American life,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said. “It’s been said it is like allowing the Soviet Union the power to produce Saturday morning cartoons during the Cold War but much more powerful and much more dangerous.”
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
On the other hand, lawmakers such as Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/squad-member-defends-tiktok-amid-debate-over-possible-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asserted</a> that the more than 150 million users of TikTok in the United States would be irreparably harmed by actions against the firm. “TikTok as a platform has created a community and a space for free speech,” Bowman said at a Wednesday press conference supporting TikTok. “It is also a place where 5 million small businesses are selling their products and services and making a living.”

China’s Ministry Of Commerce Holds Regular Press Conference

American Lawmakers Want To Force A Sale Of TikTok. CCP Officials ‘Resolutely Oppose’ It.

China Opposes Forced Sale Of TikTok In The United States

Former NBA player-turned-human rights activist Enes Freedom said that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> is censoring information damaging to the Chinese state.
Freedom, who has played for several NBA teams including the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, said he downloaded the Chinese-owned video-sharing app and posted about China’s human rights abuses.
“I bought myself a second phone and downloaded Tiktok to start posting about China’s human rights abuses,” Freedom tweeted on Thursday. Freedom said he was quickly booted from the platform. He believes China’s government was behind the decision.
“It literally took the CCP one week to ban me permanently,” he wrote, adding, “TikTok is a Chinese Communist surveillance vehicle!”
“Stop stealing people’s information!” Freedom added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I bought myself a second phone and downloaded Tiktok to start posting about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>’s human rights abuses.
It literally took the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CCP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CCP</a> one week to ban me permanently.
TikTok is a Chinese Communist surveillance vehicle! <a href="https://t.co/Wsk7HJo6fy">pic.twitter.com/Wsk7HJo6fy</a>
&mdash; Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) <a href="https://twitter.com/EnesFreedom/status/1638920853709570048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Freedom shared what appear to be screenshots of his TikTok account after it was banned.
“Your account was permanently banned for violating our Community Guidelines. To appeal this decision, include a description of the issue below,” read TikTok’s message on Freedom’s account.
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-6507">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
TikTok appears to have reviewed and responded to Freedom’s appeal, according to another screenshot. TikTok’s message to Freedom says the account still violates TikTok’s guidelines and “cannot be restored.”
“You’ll no longer be able to log into TikTok with your account,” the message reads, according to a screenshot.
Freedom was born in Turkey and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager. He became an American citizen in 2021 and legally changed his last name to Freedom in honor of the occasion.
In 2022, Freedom was cut by the Houston Rockets, effectively halting his NBA career. Freedom has <a href="https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/enes-freedom-criticizes-nba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he believes he was cut due to his outspoken criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.
“Because in recent months, I spoke out against what is happening in China,” Freedom said at the time. “Listen, the Chinese market is a significant part of the business in the NBA. So they will allow you to talk freely about what you want until it hurts their pocket. As soon as you do that, they will cut you. It is very sad and unacceptable.”
TikTok is currently under scrutiny from lawmakers in Washington over national security concerns related to how the company handles Americans’ data. 
The Biden administration has threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, sells the U.S. version of the app.
On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee and attempted to reassure lawmakers that there is no reason to ban TikTok. However, Chew did not answer directly when asked whether Chinese officials at ByteDance had helped him prepare for the congressional hearing.
Chew also said he opposes a forced sale of the U.S. TikTok app.
The tensions over TikTok have put the Chinese and U.S. governments at odds with each other. The Chinese government weighed in on Thursday, saying it will “firmly oppose” the sale of TikTok.
On Tuesday amid the scrutiny, TikTok updated its Community Guidelines to include new restrictions, around the topic of climate change and vaccines as well as restrictions on AI-generated images of young people and private figures.

Boston Celtics v Indiana Pacers

Ex-NBA Player Says TikTok Blocked Him For Posting About ‘China’s Human Rights Abuses’

Ex-NBA Player Says TikTok Blocked Him For Posting About 'China’s Human Rights Abuses'

World

Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/utah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Utah</a> Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills on Thursday that would regulate children&#8217;s use of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a>, as lawmakers in Congress question <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> over its effect on kids and national security. 
Cox said that the purpose of the new regulations, which included not allowing a minor to open a social media account without parental consent, is to protect kids&#8217; mental health. 
“We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/GovCox/status/1639015949964840960?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Twitter. “Utah’s leading the way in holding social media companies accountable – and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.”
The legislation, which is the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-utah-kids-84bd1f6481071726327bce25cf3e7522" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first of its kind</a> in the nation, is expected to be challenged in court by social media companies. The laws, House Bill 311 and Senate Bill 152, were passed by the Republican-controlled Utah legislature earlier this year. 
Included in the new legislation, which goes into effect in 2024, is a ban on social media use by children from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., which parents will <a href="https://socialmedia.utah.gov/">have</a> the liberty to adjust. Additionally, children will not show up in search results and will not be able to receive direct messages from those they are not friends with or following under the new law.
A provision in HB 311 allows children to sue for damages related to social media use. This takes aim at “addictive” features in social media, including “a $250,000 fine for social media companies which use addictive design features” and “a penalty of up to $2,500 per child exposed to an addictive feature.” For those under 16, there will be a presumption of harm unless proven otherwise, according to the Utah government. 
Tech lobbyists have said the legislation would be a violation of the First Amendment and that private data could be compromised as a result of the requirements. 
Other states, like Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and New Jersey are also looking at legislation that would increase regulation of young people’s social media use. 
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-3701">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
At the federal level, some lawmakers are also looking to reign in social media, with TikTok CEO Shou Chew appearing before Congress on Thursday as lawmakers consider a ban on the social media platform. 
Democratic and Republican lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/squad-member-defends-tiktok-amid-debate-over-possible-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have raised concerns</a> over allegations that user data on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, can be accessed by associates of the Chinese Communist Party.

US President Joe Biden hosts governors and their spouses in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington

Utah Gov. Signs New Restrictions On Social Media Use For Kids As Congress Questions TikTok

Utah

A top <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> executive attacked the House Energy and Commerce committee hearing on TikTok, accusing members of &#8220;xenophobia.&#8221;
TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas said that the hearing &#8220;felt rooted in xenophobia.&#8221; TikTok itself also blasted the hearing in a statement of its own. The company&#8217;s response came after a tense hearing between CEO Shou Zi Chew, in which members from both parties blasted the Chinese-owned social media app for targeting children and violating the data privacy of Americans.
&#8220;We&#8217;re committed to providing a safe, secure platform, that fosters an inclusive place for our amazing, diverse communities to call home,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/v_ness/status/1639000020077924352?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pappas</a> wrote on Twitter. &#8220;It’s a shame today’s conversation felt rooted in xenophobia. Thank you to our employees who work tirelessly to protect our platform &amp; community.&#8221;
TikTok itself also knocked the committee hearing, claiming that members were engaged in political grandstanding instead of acknowledging the steps the app has taken to improve safety. &#8220;Our CEO, @ShouChew, came prepared to answer questions from Congress, but unfortunately, the day was dominated by political grandstanding that failed to acknowledge real solutions already underway through Project Texas or address industry-wide issues of youth safety,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/TikTokComms/status/1638993513936478209" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok Comms</a> wrote.
&#8220;Also not mentioned today by members of the @HouseCommerce Committee: the livelihoods of the 5 million businesses on TikTok or the First Amendment implications of banning a platform loved by 150 million Americans,&#8221; the <a href="https://twitter.com/TikTokComms/status/1638993515874078744?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">company</a> added.
Pappas&#8217; comments seemed to stem from an <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/its-a-pretty-easy-question-tiktok-ceo-declines-three-chances-to-acknowledge-chinese-persecution-of-uyghurs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exchange</a> between Chew and Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), in which Lesko asked him to denounce the persecution of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese Communist Party. Chew repeatedly evaded the question, preferring to talk about the content on the app, but Lesko asked him the question several times.
“Do you agree that the Chinese government has persecuted the Uyghur population?” Lesko asked.
&#8220;If you use our app, and you open it, you will see our users who give all sorts of content,&#8221; Chew said.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-441512">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
<div class="ad-container desktop ad-h-50 ad-w-300">
<div id="desktop_desk-art-pol-lb2" class="ad gam" data-iu="lb2" data-ad-size="728x90,300x250,320x50,300x50,1x1,fluid" data-ad-lz="1" data-hot-unit="">&#8220;That’s not what I said,&#8221; Lesko cut in. &#8220;My question is, do you agree that the Chinese government has persecuted the Uyghur population?&#8221;</div>
</div>
“Well, it’s deeply concerning to hear about all accounts of human rights abuse; my role here is to explain what our platform does” said Chew, before being cut off again.
“I think you’re being pretty evasive,&#8221; Lesko interjected. &#8220;It’s a pretty easy question.” She then asked her question a third time.
“Congresswoman, I’m here to describe TikTok and what we do as a platform,&#8221; Chew replied. &#8220;And as a platform, we allow our users to freely express themselves on this issue and any other issue that matters to them.&#8221;
But commenters replying to Pappas&#8217; post pointed out that Chew dodging the question was actually an indicator that TikTok may be compromised by the CCP.
&#8220;One of TikTok&#8217;s core claims is that it is independent of its Chinese parent, ByteDance,&#8221; cybersecurity expert <a href="https://twitter.com/gillespiejames_/status/1639029795559440384?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Gillespie</a> wrote in reply to Pappas. &#8220;So it seems reasonable for Congress to ask the CEO if he condemns the Uyghur genocide, because if he won&#8217;t that surely says something about how free he feels to displease Beijing.&#8221;
&#8220;You can see here how well the Chinese communist state apparatus has mastered the idiocies of the West &amp; its media classes &#8211; pronouns, safetyism, ‘diverse communities,’ claiming &#8216;xenophobia&#8217; &#8230; a masterclass in understanding &amp; exploiting the West&#8217;s neuroses,&#8221; journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1639019455538921472?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gray Connolly</a> added.
&#8220;COO of TikTok says that todays hearing — where CEO of TikTok on several occasions refused to condemn concentration camps filled with a religious minority — &#8216;felt rooted in xenophobia,’” journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/ZaidJilani/status/1639014091489411072?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zaid Jilani</a> tweeted.
&#8220;Calling real concerns about data security and content filtering xenophobic is certainly an interesting approach to take,&#8221; CNBC writer <a href="https://twitter.com/Kantrowitz/status/1639006996648132609?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kantrowitz</a> added.

Top TikTok Exec Says Congressional Hearing ‘Felt Rooted In Xenophobia’

Top TikTok Exec Says Congressional Hearing 'Felt Rooted In Xenophobia' Over Tense Exchange Between CEO, Republican Member About Uyghurs

Twitter

U.S. House of Representatives

Uyghur

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) tore into <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-refuses-to-say-whether-officials-at-chinese-parent-company-helped-him-prepare-for-hearing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> CEO Shou Zi Chew during a Thursday morning hearing, accusing him and his company of targeting American children and feeding data to the Chinese Communist Party.
Rodgers, who chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, held nothing back in a blistering <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chair-rodgers-to-tik-tok-ceo-your-platform-should-be-banned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening statement</a>, saying that the platform specifically and intentionally <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-makes-direct-appeal-to-americans-as-lawmakers-threaten-to-ban-platform/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">targets children</a> outside of communist China while protecting their own children from the platform&#8217;s harmful content.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Chair Rodgers to TikTok CEO: “Your Platform Should be Banned”" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e-DZTFwyzfY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security,&#8221; Rodgers began. &#8220;TikTok collects nearly every data point imaginable, from people’s location, to what they type and copy, who they talk to, biometric data, and more.&#8221;
Rodgers argued that TikTok — and Communist China — used the app and the access to data that it provided them to manipulate American culture, adding that she did not believe those in control of the platform would ever embrace or align with American values.
&#8220;We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values—values for freedom, human rights, and innovation. TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance, and more manipulation,&#8221; she continued. Your platform should be banned.&#8221;
Rodgers went on to say that she expected Chew to &#8220;say anything&#8221; he believed he had to say in an effort to keep the app from being banned in the United States — particularly with regard to the harm it caused children and the app&#8217;s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
&#8220;We aren’t buying it,&#8221; she declared.
After detailing the reasons she did not believe TikTok to be independent of the Chinese Communist Party, Rodgers turned the focus to the way TikTok &#8220;targets&#8221; children outside China&#8217;s borders — and the fact that the Chinese government allows more moderation of the app for its own young people.
&#8220;The ‘For You’ algorithm is a tool for TikTok to own their attention and prey on their innocence. Within minutes of creating an account, your algorithm can promote suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders to children,&#8221; Rodgers explained. &#8220;It encourages challenges for them to put their lives in danger and allows adults to prey on our beautiful, beloved daughters.&#8221;
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-36433">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;It’s also a portal for drug dealers to sell illicit fentanyl that China has banned, yet, is helping Mexican cartels produce, send across our border, and poison our children,&#8221; she continued, adding, &#8220;In China, the CCP proactively prohibits this type of TikTok content that promotes death and despair to kids.&#8221;

‘Your Platform Should Be Banned’: Congresswoman Rips Into TikTok CEO For Targeting Kids

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers Rips Into TikTok CEO For Targeting Kids

Communist China

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> CEO Shou Zi Chew neglected to provide a clear answer on whether individuals associated with ByteDance, the social media platform’s <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> parent company, helped him prepare for a Thursday morning hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns over allegations that user data on TikTok can be accessed by associates of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ccp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese Communist Party</a>. Lawmakers from both parties questioned Chew on the links between TikTok and ByteDance, as well as the extent to which authorities in China maintain authority and influence over both entities.
Chew was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PAmW0PHdU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressed</a> by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) on whether any employees of ByteDance directly provided “input, help, or instruction” for his testimony. Chew responded that his “phone is full of well wishes” but said that he prepared for the hearing with his team in Washington, D.C.
“Can you guarantee that no one at ByteDance had a role when preparing you for today’s hearing?” Burgess pressed. “Like I said, Congressman, this is a high-profile hearing,” Chew responded. “A lot of people from around the world were sending me wishes and unsolicited advice, but I prepared for this hearing with my team here in D.C.”
Burgess asked whether the attorneys who represent TikTok also represent ByteDance. “Yes, I believe so,” Chew admitted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TikTok CEO won&#8217;t say if Chinese officials &#8220;had a role&#8221; in preparing his testimony to Congress<a href="https://t.co/IdUTTPYqn1">pic.twitter.com/IdUTTPYqn1</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1638918230436634625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some officials have called for a wholesale ban on TikTok, while others have asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a board that evaluates the national security implications of international investments, to force a divestiture from ByteDance. TikTok committed in one recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-orders-chinese-company-behind-tiktok-to-sell-the-platform-or-face-nationwide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> called Project Texas to spend $1.5 billion protecting user data and ensuring that Chinese officials cannot access user information; the CFIUS has reportedly rejected the proposal.
President Joe Biden and several state officials have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-unanimously-votes-to-ban-tiktok-on-government-devices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> TikTok from government devices over data security and surveillance concerns after reports <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktoks-parent-company-in-china-planned-to-use-platform-to-track-locations-of-specific-americans-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> that ByteDance staffers in China used the platform to monitor the locations of specific American users.
Chew said in his prepared <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-swears-company-is-not-an-agent-of-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarks</a> to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that “ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” even as he acknowledged that the firm has Chinese founders. “Divestment does not address the fundamental concerns that I have heard, as a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access,” he told lawmakers. “This is not an issue of nationality.”
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asserted in her opening <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chair-rodgers-to-tik-tok-ceo-your-platform-should-be-banned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that Chinese law requires ByteDance and other social media companies to conduct surveillance on its behalf. “From the data it collects to the content it controls, TikTok is a grave threat of foreign influence in American life,” she commented. “It&#8217;s been said it is like allowing the Soviet Union the power to produce Saturday morning cartoons during the Cold War but much more powerful and much more dangerous.”
Chew has frequently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-makes-direct-appeal-to-americans-as-lawmakers-threaten-to-ban-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">touted</a> the runaway popularity of TikTok in the United States as he seeks to dissuade lawmakers from taking action against the company. Rodgers added that the massive scale of the platform only “emphasizes the urgency for Congress to act.”

Shou Zi Chew

TikTok CEO Refuses To Say Whether Officials At Chinese Parent Company Helped Him Prepare For Hearing

TikTok CEO Shou Chew Responds To Company's China Links

Menu