TikTok says it does not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government
Washington:
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday that China may use the social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. election.
When asked by Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi whether China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) would use TikTok to influence the election, Haines said: “We can’t rule out that the CCP will use it.”
Krishnamoorty is also the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, which along with Republican Chairman Mike Gallagher introduced a bill last week that would give TikTok’s Chinese owners Jiedong has about six months to spin off the short-form video app used by 170 million Americans.
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Wednesday under expedited rules that require two-thirds of lawmakers to vote “yes” for the measure to pass.
President Joe Biden said last week he would sign the bill.
The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment Report released on Monday said TikTok accounts operated by the Chinese government’s propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates of both parties during the 2022 U.S. midterm election cycle.
TikTok said it does not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and argued the House bill amounted to a ban. It’s unclear whether China would approve any sale or whether TikTok could be spun off within six months.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
