Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) stated banning the Chinese language social media app TikTok would in the end “harm [Democrats] politically in 2024.”
Throughout an look on final Thursday’s airing of NBC’s MTP Now, Bowman stated individuals would in the end “gravitate” to a special platform or create their very own if TikTok was to be banned.
Bowman then claimed most of the 150 million Individuals on the Chinese language social media app are younger and “tend to lean Democratic,” which is why he thinks a complete ban of TikTok would harm his political celebration’s base.
“So if the Democratic Party is a part of shutting down a platform that they have used to build community,” the congressman continued.
“It can harm us politically in 2024. But more importantly, it can harm the American people in our sense of well-being because people find space to be themselves on ticked off that they can’t find somewhere else.”
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is seen throughout a break within the Home Vitality and Commerce Committee listening to titled TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Knowledge Privateness And Defend Kids From On-line Harms, in Rayburn Constructing on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty)
Bowman additionally claimed throughout his interview that “there’s been no evidence” that TikTok poses a nationwide safety concern by means of Chinese language espionage on the app, however thinks that there’s a nationwide safety concern from “misinformation and the spreading of misinformation” on social media.
The congressman’s claims come after the favored Chinese language social media app was additionally banned on United States authorities units — when a provision was added to the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending invoice President Joe Biden signed into legislation — for being a possible nationwide safety downside. Moreover, there have been quite a few governors which have taken comparable motion on the state stage. However, for the reason that preliminary ban on authorities units, many lawmakers wish to take it a step additional by banning TikTok throughout the US.
This additionally comes after final week’s Home Vitality and Commerce Committee listening to with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Members of Congress grilled him in regards to the varied issues lawmakers have in regards to the social media app. In a single occasion, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) was capable of get Chew to confess that workers of TikTok’s guardian firm at present have entry to U.S. person information.
“Do any ByteDance employees in China, including engineers, currently have access to U.S. user data?” Latta requested, to which Chew answered, “After Project Texas is done, the answer is no. Today, there is still some data that we need to delete.”
Watch TikTok CEO Not Deny that TikTok’s Mum or dad Firm Bytedance Has Entry to Individuals’ Knowledge:
Home Committee on Vitality and Commerce
Throughout one other occasion, following Latta’s query, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) grilled Chew over ByteDance having entry to the info of thousands and thousands of Individuals utilizing the favored app.
Cammack pointedly requested Chew about entry to person information, and he ultimately responded, “Some user data is public data, congresswoman, which means everybody can search for it on the internet.”
Watch Rep. Cammack Grill TikTok CEO on Chinese language Communist Occasion’s Entry to Individuals’ Knowledge:
U.S. Home of Representatives
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart Information. Write to him at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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