Chairman John Moolenaar, who leads the House Select Committee on China, released a statement regarding the ongoing divestiture process of TikTok and its future in the United States. The move follows Congressional action that required ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to relinquish control of the app due to concerns over national security and influence from the Chinese Communist Party.
Moolenaar stated, “ByteDance has shown time and again that it is a bad actor, and the Chinese Communist Party’s ultimate goal is to see America divided and weakened. That is why, on an overwhelming bipartisan basis, Congress required ByteDance to divest control of TikTok. Transitioning to a majority American-owned entity would mark an important step in that process that could mitigate some of the ByteDance threat depending on the details, but divestment was not the law’s only requirement. The law also set firm guardrails that prohibit cooperation between ByteDance and any prospective TikTok successor on the all-important recommendation algorithm, as well as preclude operational ties between the new entity and ByteDance. As Chairman of the China Select Committee, I will be conducting full oversight over this agreement, starting with an urgent briefing I have requested from the Administration. Furthermore, I look forward to hosting the leadership of the new TikTok entity at a Select Committee hearing next year."
Congress passed legislation requiring ByteDance to divest its ownership in TikTok after bipartisan concerns about data privacy and potential foreign influence through social media platforms operating in the United States.
Moolenaar emphasized that beyond ownership changes, there are legal requirements prohibiting collaboration between ByteDance and any future owner regarding TikTok’s recommendation algorithm or other operational connections.
He also announced plans for committee oversight of any agreement related to TikTok's operations moving forward. This includes requesting a briefing from government officials and scheduling a hearing with leaders from any new American-owned version of TikTok.
