On Thursday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) responded to the recent comments made by the CEO of the China-controlled company TikTok, Shou Chew, saying that there is “no doubt” TikTok is a national security threat to the United States.
Chew had made many false claims about his company, including that TikTok, a subsidiary of the China-owned company ByteDance, is “not an agent of China.”
“Shou Chew’s comments, lies, and omissions reveal the close relationship between TikTok, ByteDance, and ultimately the Chinese government. After today’s hearing, there should be no doubt that TikTok represents a national security threat. The time for half-measures and mitigation are over. It is time to pass my ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act and ban TikTok,” Rubio said.
The news comes a few weeks after a whistleblower, who is a “a former ByteDance employee with direct knowledge of TikTok’s operating practices,” revealed that China can easily access U.S. data through ByteDance and TikTok.
The whistleblower alleged, “TikTok and ByteDance employees – including members of the Chinese Communist Party known to be on ByteDance’s payroll – can switch between Chinese and U.S. data with nothing more than the click of a button,” a press release from Sen. Josh Hawley’s office explained.
“TikTok and ByteDance employees use tools that allow for easy access to U.S. data. Some tools only require approval from a manager and a dataset owner before a China-based employee can access U.S. data,” the whistleblower also alleged, adding, “TikTok coordinates activities with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. They use the same data analysis tools and chat apps, and managers are in constant contact.”
