House Republicans ask Pompeo for classified briefing on TikTok, other China-linked firms
House Republicans ask Pompeo for classified briefing on TikTok, other China-linked firms
US House Republican Leaders called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to provide a classified briefing on the Chinese video-sharing social networking service TikTok and other technology companies with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"We respectfully request a classified briefing on TikTok and other technology companies with purported ties to the CCP at your earliest convenience," House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and two other lawmakers - Greg Walden and Cathy McMorris Rogers - said in a letter.
Technology companies with "direct or indirect links" to China represent a significant security threat particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic which originated there, they said.
"While we remain deeply concerned with TikTok, such concerns extend beyond the popular short-form video app," Republican lawmakers said. "For example, we recently learned a retail store partnered with DeepCam LLC - a company with links to China and its authoritarian government - secretly to deploy facial recognition technology at hundreds of locations, collecting information on countless Americans. Additionally, we know companies like Shenzhen Hawk, a subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate, TCL, develop and offer apps with spyware and malware designed to harvest user data and send it back to China."
Earlier on Monday, Microsoft said it plans to finish negotiations with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, on the potential purchase of the video sharing service no later than September 15.
Microsoft said that TikTok will be subject to a complete security review and all private data of TikTok's American users will be transferred to the United States in order to ensure transparency and as well as government oversight.
-ANI