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TikTok recently admitted in a letter to me that the apps source code can originate in China. This means there could be backdoors in the code that gives the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans private information. This is a major threat to our national security and to the data privacy of users.

Over the last several years, TikTok has taken young Americans, and the world, by storm. Yet what started as a platform for users to share short, light-hearted videos has rapidly transformed into a surveillance and data-stealing app manipulated by the CCP. Let me be clear: Americans using TikTok are putting themselves in harm's way. And allowing the CCP to continue having access to a data-mining app on our shores is a clear and present danger to our homeland security.

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TikToks parent company, ByteDance, a Beijing-based company, has well-known ties to the CCP. This is a problem because there is no separation between the regime and corporations in communist China. This relationship is even worse for tech companies in the regime. According to Chinas so-called national security laws, companies based in China are expected to turn their data over to the CCP when asked for it.

If that isnt alarming enough, the red flags keep coming. Recently, the tech giants former head of engineering for U.S. operations claimed in a lawsuit that ByteDance has a culture of lawlessness and operates as a propaganda tool for the CCP. He also alleged that a committee of CCP officials oversees the companys apps to track how core communist values are being advanced. According to this former executive, this committee has access to all of the company's data even the data stored in the United States.

These concerns arent new. In a recent House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing, my colleagues pointed out there are no legitimate safeguards to ensure the Peoples Republic of China isnt using TikTok to spread CCP propaganda, spy on U.S. citizens, or collect our childrens data.

ByteDance is working overtime to convince lawmakers that it doesnt work side by side with the CCP, but in reality, the two work hand in hand. ByteDance even tried changing the name of its subsidiaries to hide the CCPs involvement in TikTok but we arent falling for it.

This is a topic Democrats and Republicans can agree on. Neither side of the aisle wants to see the CCP manipulate our young people or put their privacy and data at risk. And we are all concerned about the risk TikTok presents to our national security.

Both FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines have expressed grave concern over the CCPs ability to target American audiences, especially younger ones, with communist information campaigns. TikTok has millions of users all over America, and over 70% are under the age of 35. Part of TikToks user agreement allows access to users phone contacts. How many of your children is the CCP monitoring?

As the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, it is my job to ensure Americas cyber border is protected. Thats why I sent a letter to Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, demanding to know more about where TikToks source code is developed, who in China has access to that code, and if there are any back doors to this code that would enable CCP officials to access the servers that house the data of Americans.

TikToks response to my letter confirmed my concerns. It stated that TikTok has software engineers throughout the world, including the United States and China. The letter went on to say that using a global engineering workforce to write software code is not unusual. While this might be the case, it isnt good enough for me. We need assurances that engineers affiliated with the CCP will have no role in writing TikToks source code. Anything less than this is unacceptable.

Thats why I introduced my China Technology Transfer Control Act. This legislation addresses the CCPs growing technological threat against our national security by limiting what technology we export to China. We need more legislation like this that takes the threat of the CCP seriously.

If the CCP has access to Americans private data through TikTok, Congress must know about it. My advice is to delete TikTok from your devices, and your childrens devices, as soon as possible. If stealing your familys data isnt enough of a threat, the data of service members, government workers, and first responders in your contacts should be.

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Mark Green is a U.S. representative for Tennessee and serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.

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TikTok's threat to American data must be a top national security ... - Washington Examiner