A DANGEROUS TIK
Intel report says ’Tok used to influence ’22 elex
A House bill requiring TikTok’s China-based owner to sell it or face a US ban is speeding toward a vote this week, and the video app’s alleged risks to national security are at the forefront of a fierce political debate.
TikTok’s congressional critics were given fresh fodder ahead of an expected House floor vote Wednesday after a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that the Chinese Communist Party has used the app to influence US elections.
Intelligence officials found that TikTok has played a role in “malign influence operations,” and that “accounts run by a [People’s Republic of China] propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the US midterm election cycle in 2022.” The party “may attempt to influence the US elections in 2024 at some level because of its desire to sideline critics of China and magnify US societal divisions,” the report said.
Sailed through committee
TikTok — whose CEO Shou Chew answers to owner Beijing-based ByteDance, led by chairman Zhang Yiming — plans to put up a noholds-barred legal fight before it even considers making a sale, which the company sees as a last resort, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing sources it said are familiar with the matter.
The House bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and which would give ByteDance six months to divest or be banned, is one of the most significant threats the app has faced, and advanced past a committee in a rare 50-0 vote last week.
The DNI report added even more urgency for lawmakers who fear TikTok is a propaganda and spying tool for Beijing.
President Biden has signaled he would sign the bill if it came to his desk. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) called it a “critical national security bill.”
But Donald Trump, who pushed to ban TikTok during his term in office, has surprised the GOP’s China hawks by stating he now opposes the measure. The 2024 GOP presidential front-runner admitted he sees TikTok as a national-security threat but argued a ban would only benefit Instagram parent Meta.
“Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” Trump told CNBC.
Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump aide, has reportedly been lobbying on TikTok’s behalf on Capitol Hill and has met with lawmakers at least 10 times in recent months, Politico reported.
To be sure, not everyone in the House is on board with the legislation. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) described the bill as a “Trojan horse” and asserted that it contains text that would give the president “the power to ban website sites, not just apps.”
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, chimed in to agree with Massie — writing that the law was “not just about TikTok, it is about censorship and government control!”
The legislation also faces obstacles in the Senate. Among the bill’s critics in the GOP is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who said he is “absolutely opposed to it” on freedom-of-speech grounds. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he is “definitely conflicted” about whether it is the right solution to concerns about TikTok.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has yet to say if he will bring the bill to the floor for a vote.