House Speaker Says Lawmakers to Move Forward With TikTok Bill

WASHINGTON—House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said connected Sunday lawmakers volition determination guardant with authorities to code nationalist information worries astir TikTok, alleging the Chinese communist authorities had entree to the abbreviated video app’s idiosyncratic data.

In the United States, determination are increasing calls to prohibition TikTok, owned by China-based institution ByteDance, oregon to walk bipartisan authorities to springiness President Joe Biden’s medication ineligible authorization to question a ban. Devices owned by the U.S. authorities were precocious banned from having the app installed.

“The House volition beryllium moving guardant with authorities to support Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party,” McCarthy said connected Twitter.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared earlier a House Committee for astir 5 hours connected Thursday, and lawmakers from some parties grilled him astir nationalist information and different concerns involving the app, which has 150 cardinal American users.

In Thursday’s hearing, the TikTok CEO was asked if of the app, has spied connected Americans astatine Beijing’s request. Chew answered, “No.”

Republican Representative Neal Dunn past referenced the company’s disclosure successful December that immoderate China-based employees astatine ByteDance improperly accessed TikTok idiosyncratic information of 2 journalists and were nary longer employed by the company. He repeated his question astir whether ByteDance was spying.

“I don’t deliberation that spying is the close mode to picture it,” Chew said. He went connected to picture the reports arsenic involving an “internal investigation” earlier being chopped off.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies earlier the House Energy and Commerce Committee successful the Rayburn House Office Building connected Capitol Hill successful Washington connected March 23, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

McCarthy, a Republican, said successful a tweet connected Sunday, “It’s precise concerning that the CEO of TikTok can’t beryllium honorable and admit what we already cognize to beryllium true—China has entree to TikTok idiosyncratic data.”

The institution says it has spent much than $1.5 cardinal connected information information efforts nether the sanction “Project Texas” which presently has astir 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle Corp to store TikTok’s U.S. idiosyncratic data.

Rather than appease lawmakers’ concerns, Chew’s quality earlier Congress connected Thursday “actually accrued the likelihood that Congress volition instrumentality immoderate action,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), the president of the House Select Committee connected the Chinese Communist Party, told ABC News connected Sunday.

Many Democrats besides person raised concerns though person not yet explicitly backed a U.S. ban.