The heads of the top U.S. intelligence agencies united this week in warning about the national security threat posed by
China-owned
TikTok,
pointing to the Chinese government’s influence over the app’s algorithm and access to data and software.
The warnings came during
back-to-back
Senate and House Intelligence Committee
hearings
this week in which
FBI Director
Christopher Wray
led the way in warning about the
“national security concerns” posed
by TikTok, with the heads of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency all agreeing with him.
SPY COMMUNITY WARNS OF CHINA’S WILLINGNESS TO MEDDLE IN U.S. ELECTIONS
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company that has
links to the Chinese government.
Shou Zi Chew, who simultaneously served as the CFO of ByteDance until November 2021, began serving as CEO for TikTok in April 2021,
solidifying the influence of the Chinese parent company
over the app.
Wray agreed with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday
when asked
if the Chinese Communist Party could use TikTok to access the data on millions of users through its control of ByteDance, if China could potentially control the software on millions of devices, and if China could use TikTok to drive narratives to attempt to divide Americans or to push anti-Taiwan sentiment.
“I think the most fundamental piece that cuts across every one of those risks and threats that you mentioned, that I think Americans need to understand, is that something that’s very sacred in our country, the difference between the private sector and the public sector — that’s a line that is nonexistent in the way the CCP operates,” Wray testified.
ByteDance and TikTok have repeatedly claimed they have not and would not turn over TikTok user data to the Chinese government, but national security experts have raised concerns about China’s 2017 national intelligence law, which requires all Chinese companies to assist Chinese intelligence services when asked.
Rubio argued Wednesday that “TikTok is not a good thing for America,” and none of the intelligence chiefs disagreed. The Florida Republican said that TikTok “is probably one of the most valuable surveillance tools on the planet” and noted that “we’ve invited them in and protected them by our laws.”
The senator
reintroduced
legislation in February that would prohibit “all transactions from any social media company in or under the influence of” China, Russia, and other adversarial countries, which would ban TikTok.
Wray
emphasized
on Thursday that “it’s the ownership of the CCP that fundamentally cuts across all those concerns” about TikTok when pressed on the issue by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), with the FBI director saying China could manipulate the algorithm potentially to conduct influence operations, access the data to allow for espionage, and control the software to gain access to millions of phones.
DNI Avril Haines testified Thursday that “I do share the concerns” Wray had highlighted, and CIA Director William Burns said, “I absolutely share the concerns” as well. NSA Director Paul Nakasone said that “one-third of Americans get their news from TikTok” and called that “a loaded gun.” DIA Director Scott Berrier added that “I agree with everything that has been said here.”
TikTok has thrived during the two-plus years of President Joe Biden’s presidency after
unsuccessful efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration
to crack down on the app. The Trump administration labeled TikTok a national security threat due to concerns that it could be exploited by Beijing to obtain U.S. user data illicitly.
Biden officials emphasize a national security review of the app is underway. The National Security Council said last summer that a separate review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States “is ongoing.”
Gallagher, who introduced
similar legislation
to Rubio’s in February, asked Wray on Thursday if the U.S. should ban TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company, and the FBI director said, “I’m not sure how else the problem could be solved” but that it was a “policy decision” that is “beyond my scope.”
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The Wisconsin Republican pressed the intelligence chiefs on their role in the CFIUS process. Wray said the FBI submits its intelligence assessment to the other participants but that the bureau is not asked for a specific recommendation. Haines, Burns, and Berrier also said they participate in the process but indicated they don’t provide specific advice on bans either.
ByteDance and TikTok
spent lots of money on lobbying
in 2022, and the Chinese company has
put together a large lobbying team
made up of one-time lawmakers and former congressional staffers from both parties to try to shield the company. TikTok’s lobbying has targeted the Biden White House.
