The social media platform TikTok has recently come under increased scrutiny by U.S. governors, senators and the Biden administration for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, reportedly uses the social media app to track the personal location of certain American citizens, including citizens with no prior employment history or connection with the company. Another investigation published in December revealed Chinese state media may have pushed content that criticized Republicans and favored Democrats leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.
Some experts warn China is using TikTok to get American children hooked on content with dubious effects. In China, a more educational, restricted version of the app is allowed, called Douyin. Users under the age of 14 are limited to 40 minutes on the app per day. TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes a day on the platform, according to estimates. (RELATED: State Dept Dodges Daily Caller Reporter’s Question On CCP Election Interference Through TikTok)
Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced in late November that the app would not be allowed on state devices, and prohibited the use of state-issued devices to visit the TikTok website. Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced actions against TikTok on Tuesday, as part of a cybersecurity directive which barred the use of certain Chinese- and Russian-associated entities on state devices or networks. Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster joined the pushback against the platform Monday, also banning the app on state-issued devices. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did the same Wednesday, saying the “threat posed by the CCP through TikTok is serious and must be stopped.”
Republican Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts blocked the use of the app on state-issued devices in August 2020.
I’ve banned TikTok on state issued devices.
I’m also calling for legislation to make the ban permanent and to broaden the ban.
As I detail in my letter and press release, the threat posed by the CCP through TikTok is serious and must be stopped.https://t.co/X4kkFfCDq3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 7, 2022
Indiana has sued TikTok on allegations that ByteDance allows China to have access to American users’ nonpublic data, saying the app violates the state’s consumer protection laws.
A group of Wisconsin representatives sent a letter Tuesday to the state’s governor, calling on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to ban the app from state-issued devices. The letter accused TikTok of being “nefarious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spyware that surveils Americans citizens.” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed legislation which would ban government entities and individuals in the state from using technology with links to regimes that are “hostile to American interests.” Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio is pushing for a national ban of the app on government devices for federal workers.
Rubio is not the only senator demanding federal action against TikTok. Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has called on the Biden administration to fully divest from ByteDance, demanding TikTok breaks all connections with ByteDance and any other Chinese company.
Republican Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said Dec. 2 that he plans to introduce a rule in the next Congress to ban members of Congress from using TikTok. (RELATED: CIA Director’s Former Think Tank Introduced Congressional Staffers To Experts Who Worked For Chinese Spy Fronts)
The House Republican Conference is planning to introduce legislation to ban federal government employees from using the app.
Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner joined his Republican colleagues in voicing concern regarding the app’s links to China. Warner said he agreed with former president Donald Trump that the app is an “enormous threat,” adding, “I would be very, very, concerned, all of that data that your child is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing.”
FBI Director Chris Wray raised concerns regarding the app in December, saying the app “allows them [the Chinese government] to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.”
“All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values, and that has a mission that’s very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray said in an address at the University of Michigan.
Brendan Carr, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said the Council on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) should ban TikTok outright.
Reports circulated Tuesday saying the Biden administration delayed a plan that was in the process of being negotiated with the social media app. The plan would address national security concerns due to the company’s connections with other Chinese entities.
The app has also faced criticism for allegedly prioritizing content that encourages teens to undergo sex change procedures. A psychologist who works with transgender children told the Daily Caller News Foundation in November she was concerned about the extent to which TikTok may inflate the number of transgender children.
“Deplorably, there are medical providers on TikTok telling kids that if they’re unhappy with their body, maybe they’re in the wrong body and should consider transition,” Dr. Erica Anderson said. “It’s horrible that kids are getting this kind of advice from unvetted strangers on the internet, most of whom have no medical qualifications.”
Some users exploit the app to post sexually explicit material involving minors, Forbes reported in November. Certain accounts can use a setting visible only to a select few who possess specific login information. Under this setting, illegal child sexual abuse can be posted, unbeknownst to TikTok’s content moderators.