NOT IF, BUT WHEN: Citing national security concerns, more members of Congress are signing on to the idea that the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok should be banned from operating in the United States.
Last night’s unanimous voice vote in the Senate banning TikTok from being used on government-owned devices is the latest example of how lawmakers at both the state and federal levels believe the data collected by the world’s fastest-growing social media app amount to spying on Americans. The bill now goes to the House.
“I think we should be clear about the threat that it poses because there is something very unique about TikTok, even compared to other social media applications that also hoover up a lot of data,” said Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, in an interview yesterday on Fox Business.
Carr said TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance, which launched the app in 2017, uses sophisticated algorithms informed by personal data to spread propaganda and misinformation and target specific Americans.
“We have seen reporting on foreign influence campaigns, where the propaganda arm of the [Chinese Communist Party] targeted specific U.S. politicians ahead of the midterm and targeted them for criticism and, unlike other social media apps, didn’t disclose the link back,” Carr told Fox’s Neil Cavuto.
“The dam has broken nationwide. We have states across the country, up to 12, many just in this last week again alone, looking to ban TikTok,” Carr said. “An algorithm that ultimately was developed in Beijing, controlled by Beijing” is delivering “unhealthy content to our kids.”
“I just don’t see a path forward where we can continue to allow this to operate,” Carr said. “The fundamental question has changed. It’s no longer whether TikTok is going to be banned, in terms of its current operations in the U.S., but a question of when.”
SENATE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES BILL BANNING TIKTOK FROM GOVERNMENT DEVICES
‘IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CONTENT’: On Fox last night, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) one of the three lawmakers pushing for a total ban on TikTok in the U.S., argued that while the content aimed at America’s youth is bad enough, the bigger problem is the data swept up by the Chinese government.
“People say to me, ‘What do we care if the Chinese government has access to the data on the phone of a 16-year-old teenager somewhere in America?’” Rubio told Fox’s Tucker Carlson. “It’s not about the 16-year-old teenager. It’s about millions of 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds, 30-year-olds, people that are on [the app], dumping all kinds of data that the government of China gets access to — your location, your pictures, your texts, your consumer behavior, what the algorithm is learning from you.”
Rubio along with Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation that would prohibit “all transactions from TikTok and any other social media company in or under the influence of China, Russia, and several other foreign countries of concern.”
“We have to begin with the very basic principle that companies under the control of the Chinese Communist Party should not have unfettered access to the private data of millions and millions of Americans that they can then use against us for espionage, for foreign policy, for division,” said Rubio, noting that he has a Democratic ally on this in Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
GOVERNORS BAN TIKTOK OVER SECURITY CONCERNS
STUDY: TIKTOK PUSHES HARMFUL CONTENT EVERY 39 SECONDS: A new “Parents Guide,” published Wednesday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, warned that TikTok’s algorithms target young teenagers with content that promotes “self-harm.”
“New TikTok accounts in our study were recommended self-harm and eating disorder content within minutes of scrolling the app’s ‘For You’ feed,” the report said. “The researchers investigated TikTok’s algorithm by establishing two new accounts for users aged 13 in each of the USA, UK, Australia, and Canada.”
Within as little as 2.6 minutes, TikTok’s algorithm recommended suicidal content, and within eight minutes, it recommended eating disorder content. “A new TikTok account set up by a 13-year-old user that views and likes content about body image and mental health will be recommended that content every 39 seconds,” the authors wrote. “Experts have warned that such content can have a damaging effect on teens’ mental health, even where it does not explicitly promote eating disorder.”
HERE ARE ALL THE STATES TAKING ACTION TO BAN TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas to the Pentagon at 1 p.m. on the steps of the River Entrance.
President Joe Biden takes part in a discussion on “an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice, and the rule of law” at 11:15 a.m. on the final day of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press availability at 6 p.m. at the conclusion of the summit.
HOUSE PASSES CR: As expected, the House passed a one-week stopgap funding bill known as a “continuing resolution” to give negotiators more time to button down a deal on an omnibus budget package that would fully fund the Pentagon and 11 other agencies for the rest of the fiscal year. The vote was 224-201.
The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate today or tomorrow, averting a Friday government shutdown but not a showdown between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker hopeful Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other Republicans who don’t want to make a deal with Democrats until after the GOP takes control of the House in less than three weeks.
‘BREAKFAST CLUB’ URGES SENATE REPUBLICANS TO REJECT YEARLONG SPENDING DEAL
PATRIOT THREAT: The Kremlin was none too pleased with the unofficial word leaking out of Washington that the U.S. is preparing to send at least one Patriot missile battery to Ukraine to bolster its already formidable air defenses.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated a threat made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that if U.S. Patriot missiles were deployed to Ukraine, they would “definitely” be a target for Russia.
“Certainly,” Peskov said in response to a question about whether the Kremlin shared Medvedev’s view that the advanced systems would become legitimate targets.
But given that Patriots are a defensive system, with the sole mission of shooting down missiles and planes, attacking them would be problematic at best.
“These are the most sophisticated air defense that we’ve got,” said William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, on CNN. “Ukrainians will be trained on these systems. They’ll be able to knock down, and at a long distance, aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles. These Patriot missiles are extremely effective against this area.”
Taylor pointed out the bigger challenge is the training of Ukrainian crews — and the fact that the U.S. has only 15 Patriot missile battalions and all are currently deployed elsewhere.
There have been questions about how long it’s going to take the train,” he said. “One big question is, there are not that many batteries, there are not that many Patriot batteries that are available.”
PATRIOT MISSILE DEFENSE FOR UKRAINE COULD SAVE LIVES OR BE SEEN AS ESCALATION
INDUSTRY WATCH: Lockheed Martin has announced that it reached a deal with Germany to replace its aging Tornado bomber jets with 35 F-35A Lightning II aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
“The German Federal Ministry of Defence officially signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to join the F-35 program,” the company tweeted. “As the cornerstone of NATO interoperability, @thef35 will strengthen @Team_Luftwaffe and its operational capability with allies.”
The deal is part of a $13.8 billion package of defense procurement projects approved by German lawmakers on Wednesday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: House passes short-term extension on government funding
Washington Examiner: ‘Breakfast Club’ urges Senate Republicans to reject yearlong spending deal
Washington Examiner: ‘Republicans are emasculated’: Rand Paul urges Republicans to vote against omnibus spending bill
Washington Examiner: Defense bill mandates quarterly reports to Congress on US-Mexico border mission
Washington Examiner: Patriot missile defense for Ukraine could save lives or be seen as escalation
Washington Examiner: US national included in latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia
Washington Examiner: Ukraine says it shot down more than a dozen Iranian drones as Russia attacks
Washington Examiner: US opens Space Force unit in South Korea
Washington Examiner: Senate unanimously passes bill banning TikTok from government devices
Washington Examiner: US challenges China’s growing influence in Africa with high-stakes investments
Washington Examiner: Greg Abbott vows to spend 2023 building Texas border wall following long delay
Washington Examiner: Opinion: UK offers pathetic response to Chinese diplomats’ attack, sending bad signal for US special relationship
AP: EXPLAINER: What can the Patriot missile do for Ukraine?
AP: Ukraine: Russian strikes thwarted, wreckage hits buildings
New York Times: Russia Fires Flurry Of Iranian-Made Drones At Kyiv After A 3-Week Lull
New York Times: Moscow’s Propagandists Spin a Stumbling War
Wall Street Journal: Xi Jinping Bolsters Ties With Moscow
Wall Street Journal: China Recruited Western Pilots
USNI News: U.S. Needs To Clear $19B In Arms Sale Backlog To Taiwan, Says HASC Member
Washington Post: A desperate road trip to remind America about its Afghan allies
Roll Call: Final NDAA removes most House provisions on hate groups
Breaking Defense: Congress Pushing For More Amphibs Despite Navy Projecting Production Shutdown
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Three More Successful All-Up ARRW Tests Required Before Production Decision
Task & Purpose: The Army’s new infantry assault buggy is a useless garbage pile
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Leaders: CCA Is About Capability, Not Just Cost
Air & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Delays First Satellite Launches
Bloomberg: Pentagon Report Finds 175,000 Military Personnel Exposed to PFAS
Breaking Defense: Pentagon Not Prepared for Software Updates at the Speed of War, Report Finds
Task & Purpose: How Airmen Stopped a Mid-air Assault on a C-17 Cockpit During the Afghan Airlift
19fortyfive.com: China’s ICBM Force Could Start a Nuclear War on America
19fortyfive.com: How Bad Will the Ukraine War Get Before Putin Quits?
19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Why Joe Biden Should Give ATACMS to Ukraine
The Cipher Brief: Putin’s Gambler Mentality is a Wild Card in Global Energy Markets
The Cipher Brief: The Intricate Balance of Protecting Journalism and National Security
Calendar
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 15
8 a.m. 801 Mount Vernon Pl. NW — Day Three of the State Department-hosted U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, with President Joe Biden participating in a discussion on “an Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice, and the rule of law” at 11:15 a.m. and Vice President Kamala Harris participating in a working lunch on “Multilateral Partnerships with Africa to Meet Global Challenges.” Livestream at https://www.state.gov/africasummit/
9 a.m. 801 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, Virginia — Intelligence and National Security Alliance discussion: “Today’s global challenges and CIA’s efforts to address them,” with CIA Director William Burns and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon https://www.insaonline.org/detail-pages/event
11:30 a.m. 550 C St. SW — Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion: “Satellite acquisition reform,” with Assistant Air Force Secretary for Space Acquisitions and Integration Frank Calvelli and Sandra Erwin, reporter at Space News https://www.wsbr.org/events/wsbr-december-luncheon
11:30 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Is Russia-Ukraine a Forever War?” with Ekaterina Schulmann, Russian political scientist; Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president for studies; and Aaron David Miller, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/12/15/carnegie-connects
11:30 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Ukraine’s Economy: Today’s Challenges, Tomorrow’s Needs, and Lessons from Past Reconstruction Efforts.” https://www.brookings.edu/events/ukraines-economy-todays-challenges-tomorrows-needs-lessons-from-past-reconstruction-efforts/
1 p.m. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas
6 p.m. — Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press availability at the conclusion of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Livestream at https://www.state.gov/
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 16
9 a.m. — Middle East Institute 11th annual Turkey Conference https://www.mei.edu/events/meis-11th-annual-turkey-conference
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I think, at the end of this week, really, the fundamental question has changed. It’s no longer whether TikTok is going to be banned, in terms of its current operations in the U.S., but a question of when.”
Brendan Carr, Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, speaking on Fox Business on Wednesday
