US Senator Dan Sullivan sent a letter to the Commerce Committee leadership on Wednesday requesting the panel to hold a hearing on privacy and national security concerns related to the social media application TikTok and its ties to China
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2023) US Senator Dan Sullivan sent a letter to the Commerce Committee leadership on Wednesday requesting the panel to hold a hearing on privacy and national security concerns related to the social media application TikTok and its ties to China.
"I write to respectfully request that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hold a hearing on the persistent privacy issues, national security concerns, and troubling influence over our children associated with the social media application TikTok," Sullivan said in the letter, obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Sullivan expressed concern about the availability of US user data from TikTok to China-based employees of parent company ByteDance. Although Federal agencies and some state governments have taken steps to restrict TikTok on official devices, more needs to be done to address concerns about the app, he said.
Sullivan addressed the letter to Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell and Ranking Member Ted Cruz. Democrats hold a majority in the Senate for the new 118th Congress and lead its committees.
On Tuesday, the Republican-led House passed a resolution along bipartisan lines to establish a select committee on strategic competition with China, including in the technological realm.
"In light of these renewed bipartisan concerns, and the repeated misrepresentations by TikTok regarding data security and its privacy practices, I urge you to hold a hearing on the risks that Americans, especially our children, face using this platform," Sullivan said.
The hearing would service as a public forum to gather information as Congress and other policymakers consider the issue, Sullivan added.
