Continuing a fight against the Chinese-owned mobile application TikTok that has stretched since the Trump administration, two House committee leaders recently wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to demand updates on ongoing investigations.
“TikTok presents significant security and data privacy concerns,” the lawmakers wrote. “On November 15, 2022, Director Wray, you acknowledged that the FBI has security concerns relating to the usage of TikTok in the United States. You explained that the FBI’s concerns about TikTok ‘include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations.’ You also testified that the Chinese government could use TikTok to ‘control software on millions of devices,’ providing it the opportunity to ‘technically compromise’ those personal devices. Despite expressing these concerns, it is unclear what actions DHS and the FBI have taken to address the PRC’s potential access to data of American users of TikTok.”
Leading the charge was the House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, MD (R-TN) and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX). Both warned of security risks and the malign influence of the Chinese government through the app, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd. Currently, more than 150 million people use TikTok in the United States alone.
While no national ban was ever enacted against TikTok, despite Republican calls for it, agencies including DHS, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense banned TikTok’s use on official mobile devices due to security concerns. Many states have also followed suit for their government devices, and a number of other countries – including Australia, France, the U.K. and more – have taken similar approaches.
“We understand that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency entity that examines foreign investments in the United States for national security implications, is continuing to conduct a review of TikTok,” the chairmen wrote. “Both DHS and the FBI participate in the CFIUS. The CFIUS review was initiated by the Trump administration and carried forward by the Biden administration. While this review continues, it is also unclear how DHS and the FBI have contributed to this national security review.”
As such, they asked for a briefing by Jan. 31, 2024, to discuss the department’s overall efforts.