The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has announced a new legislative proposal titled "The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act". This bill, introduced by Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), aims to restrict the availability of apps, such as TikTok in the U.S., which are allegedly under foreign adversary control.
According to a press release, Gallagher, who serves as committee chairman, and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi have jointly introduced this bipartisan legislation. The legislation suggests that TikTok, owned by ByteDance, maintains connections with the CCP, thereby posing national security risks. It proposes an active approach to mitigate these risks associated with TikTok and similar apps by encouraging divestment. The bill stipulates that unless TikTok fully divests from entities under CCP control, it will face restrictions on app store availability and web hosting services in the U.S. Should an app be designated as subject to foreign adversary control and face restrictions under this proposed law, it would be required to facilitate user data transition - a provision designed to empower users to switch platforms while maintaining control over their personal data.
"This is my message to TikTok: break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users," Gallagher said in the release. "America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States. TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance."
Adam Savit, director of the China Policy Initiative for the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), and Royce Hood, policy analyst for AFPI's China Policy Initiative, authored a report outlining potential threats posed by TikTok. They argue that TikTok "serves as an ingenious data harvesting weapon for the CCP disguised as a social media platform and has become a dominant force in American youth culture." TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2020, three years after its launch, with its popularity skyrocketing during Covid-19 lockdowns. The app now boasts 1 billion daily users. According to a report by security research firm "Internet 2.0", the app "aggressively and surreptitiously collects data" from users' devices, including a list of all other apps on the device, Wi-Fi network information (SSIDs), phone numbers and IP addresses associated with the device or SIM card, contacts, folders and files, calendar events, and GPS information. Internet 2.0's report asserts that all of this data is gathered at least once per hour, and TikTok can access and communicate with China-based servers owned by Guizhou Baishan Cloud Technology Co., Ltd.
Krishnamoorthi further elaborated on the issue in the press release: "So long as it is owned by ByteDance and thus required to collaborate with the CCP, TikTok poses critical threats to our national security. Our bipartisan legislation would protect American social media users by driving the divestment of foreign adversary-controlled apps to ensure that Americans are protected from digital surveillance and influence operations of regimes that could weaponize their personal data against them. Whether it’s Russia or the CCP, this bill ensures the President has the tools he needs to press dangerous apps to divest and defend Americans’ security and privacy against our adversaries."
According to its website, The House select committee on the CCP employs bipartisan collaboration to address national security threats posed by the CCP.
