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TikTok is under intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where the director of the FBI, the former head of the CIA, and parents of suffering children are all sounding an alarm about the China-founded app.
CEO Shou Zi Chew told senators on Wednesday that safety is a top priority at TikTok under his leadership, but he has not persuaded lawmakers, security officials, and families with youngsters using the app.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers there is little to stop China from tinkering with the inner workings of TikTok to influence American voters ahead of the November elections.
“If the CCP were to want to change TikTok feeds to bias one candidate or another in the upcoming presidential election, would they be able to do so?” Rep. Seth Moulton asked at a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
“My understanding is that under Chinese law that would be something that they would be permitted to do,” Mr. Wray replied.
Mr. Wray said a U.S. government ban of TikTok is a question for other policymakers, but he highlighted potential dangers from the app. He pointed to its China-based parent company, ByteDance, as the source of consternation for U.S. officials.
TikTok’s data collection can enable Chinese intelligence operations against Americans, and it is a platform that can be used to manipulate Americans, the FBI director warned.
“The most important starting point is the role of the Chinese government: the app’s parent company is effectively beholden to the Chinese government,” Mr. Wray said.
Mr. Wray said TikTok’s presence on people’s devices also gives its Chinese minders the ability to compromise those devices to suit their own motives.
Former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who served under President Obama, agreed. Testifying before the House China Committee on Tuesday, he did not shy away from casting TikTok as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party.
“I have a tendency to describe TikTok as nothing more than CCP malware — is that hyperbolic or is that accurate?” Asked Rep. Dusty Johnson, South Dakota Republican.
“I happen to think it’s accurate,” Mr. Panetta replied.
TikTok has repeatedly denied it is beholden to the Chinese government. Mr. Chew told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he is not a stooge for China’s intelligence services.
“Your platform is basically an espionage arm for the Chinese Communist Party, why should you not be banned in the United States of America?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican.
“Senator, I disagree with your characterization,” Mr. Chew said. “Many of what you have said we have explained in a lot of detail. TikTok is used by 170 million Americans.”
Mr. Hawly replied, “I know, and every single one of those Americans are in danger from the fact that you track their keystrokes, you track their app usage, you track their location data and we know that all of that information can be accessed by Chinese employees who are subject to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Parents of children on TikTok are also frustrated with what they see. Todd Minor said the death of his 12-year-old son was attributable to his trying to complete a choking challenge video he saw on TikTok, which claimed children can safely choke themselves.
“TikTok and other platforms have enabled this deadly viral video to circulate for more than a decade, resulting in hundreds of deaths like Matthew’s,” Mr. Minor said in a statement shared by liberal firm Unbendable Media. “Congress must hold these companies accountable for the lives they have ended and destroyed.”
Mr. Chew said TikTok is dedicated to improving the safety of its app for its users.
“We currently have more than 40,000 trust and safety professionals working to protect our community globally, and we expect to invest more than $2 billion dollars in trust and safety efforts this year alone, with a significant part of that in our U.S. operations,” Mr. Chew told senators.
Lawmakers’ appetite for fresh restrictions on TikTok will likely shrink as the November elections grow nearer. TikTok has more than 170 million Americans on its app, and Mr. Chew said Wednesday that the age of the average user is older than 30.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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