House Dem sees TikTok security issues, thinks total ban won’t happen
Freshman House Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC), who has more than a million followers on TikTok, acknowledges security issues with the Chinese social media app, but doesn’t think the platform form will be totally prohibited.
The North Carolina lawmaker told NBC News he could reach more people on the Chinese social media app than on other platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. He acknowledged the “real” safety issues, but believes a total ban won’t happen.
“You just happen to get a lot more views on TikTok than on Instagram or Facebook. Like ten times more,” the 40-year-old freshman congressman told NBC News. “I was able to reach a lot of people , and at the same time, I think the security concerns are real.”
Imagine being a vulnerable new legislator and tying your entire brand to a Chinese Communist Party spy app!
CC: Democrat @JeffJacksonNC https://t.co/pTz8RV7Vah
— Michael McAdams (@M_McAdams) March 23, 2023
“I don’t think he was hyperbolic,” Jackson added, referring to FBI Director Christopher Wray saying last November that TikTok poses national security risks and acknowledging that the Chinese government can use it to influence people. users in the United States and have the ability to control users’ devices.
The congressman also noted that Wray’s concerns about data privacy and the algorithm “will be very difficult to resolve as long as it remains a Chinese company.” However, Jackson seems to think that banning the Chinese social media app wouldn’t be the best-case scenario, given the number of users on the platform.
“I think they have a point to make about how many Americans are using it, and I think the case is that a ban is clearly not the best-case scenario,” he argued. while acknowledging that a change of ownership is “necessary at this stage”. indicate.”
The freshman congressman says he keeps a “burner phone” to use TikTok and doesn’t keep the Chinese social media app on his government-issued or personal phones. “It’s worth having a dedicated phone and sometimes a bit of a headache to use just because there are so many people I can reach,” he added.
Last year, the Chinese social media app was banned from US government devices for being a potential national security issue after a provision was added to the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill. dollars that President Joe Biden signed into law.
Additionally, legislation that would empower the Secretary of Commerce to “bar or ban” foreign technology from six adversarial countries from entering the United States would ultimately include TikTok’s China-based parent company.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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