Calls to Ban TikTok Grow Louder in Congress US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said that he expects US lawmakers will pass bipartisan legislation to address national security concerns relating to Chineseowned social media giant TikTok. The Speaker’s comments came on 24 March, after lawmakers questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about potential Chinese government influence over the platform and claimed that its short-form video content was damaging to children’s mental health, reflecting concerns about the app’s influence rooted within both the Democratic and Republican parties. When asked if TikTok parent ByteDancce had spied on Americans at the Chinese government’s request, Chew answered, “No.” He later posted a video to TikTok recounting the hearing, stating, “We will continue to protect your data from unauthorised foreign access.” This is not the US government’s first clash with TikTok. Former President Donald Trump sought to ban the platform along with WeChat, another Chineseowned app, but was defeated in a series of lawsuits in 2020. The Senate Commerce Committee has yet to schedule a hearing to consider a bill titled the ‘RESTRICT Act’ which would allow the Commerce Department to ban foreign technology that it considers to pose a national security risk. The earliest that this may occur would be in mid-April after the Senate returns from recess. MONTHLY ROUND-UP 9
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