Rep. Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.) on Tuesday criticized bipartisan efforts to ban TikTok, becoming one of the platform’s biggest supporters in Congress as the China-based company’s CEO is expected to testify before a House panel this week.
The social media giant is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, raising concerns that the platform could pose a national security threat to America. China’s national security laws state that Chinese companies or those operating in the country can be required to share data with the government.
In an interview with NBC News, Bowman refuted the idea that China could use TikTok to steal American data or influence US opinion.
“I haven’t seen any hard evidence that TikTok is doing some kind of espionage,” Bowman said. “What I hear is speculation. And what I hear is innuendo.
Bowman added that Americans use a lot of Chinese-owned apps and choosing TikTok seems like another attempt by politicians to spread fear.
“The idea that, ‘Oh, TikTok is the boogeyman’ — that’s just part of the political fear that’s going on,” he told NBC News.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which reviews foreign transactions involving American businesses for national security concerns, has asked TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell their shares in the business or risk national bans, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The platform’s ownership has also been flagged as a concern by congressional lawmakers and US officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“Everything is in the hands of a government that does not share our values, and that has a mission that is very much at odds with what is in the best interest of the United States,” Wray said last year. “That should be our concern.”
TikTok seemed to confirm those concerns when it announced in December that it was firing staff in China and the US after it was found to have accessed the data of two journalists and other US users, according to The Washington Post.
Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (RS.D.), earlier this month introduced legislation aimed at addressing technological threats created by US adversaries. While the bill does not specifically target TikTok, it could be used to ban it.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has also drafted a bill to give President Joe Biden more power to act against the platform.
In the meantime, TikTok is growing in popularity with Americans, raising questions about whether the ban could harm President Joe Biden and other Democrats.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, said this week that the platform has 150 million monthly active users in the US, an increase of 50% from 2020. This number includes 5 million US. business. TikTok has 7,000 employees based in the US.
U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Cory Booker (DN.J.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Bowman, are also active on the platform. Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz used TikTok during his failed 2022 campaign.
Bowman, who has about 158,000 TikTok followers, planned a press conference with TikTok creators about how the ban would violate First Amendment rights on Wednesday.
TikTok has paid influencers to travel to Washington this week as part of a push to avoid the ban, according to Politico.