Today in Washington DC, Chairman John Moolenaar addressed the “How to Save TikTok and Protect U.S. National Security” event held at Capitol Hill. He spoke on behalf of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressing significant concerns over Chinese ownership of TikTok, especially in the context of national security threats.
Chairman Moolenaar was firm in his view that any agreement allowing ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to maintain control of the platform is “unacceptable and illegal under U.S. law.” He noted that ByteDance could not be trusted to operate independently of the Chinese Communist Party. “ByteDance cannot be trusted to operate TikTok independently of the Chinese Communist Party, and any arrangement that allows them to retain access to user data, algorithms, or operations is a direct threat to our national security,” he warned.
The event congregation included industry experts and media representatives who listened as Moolenaar emphasized the bipartisan passage of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This Act mandates a complete divestiture of TikTok by ByteDance, highlighting previous instances such as Project Texas, which he claimed showed that promises of U.S. user data protection had fallen short.
Chairman Moolenaar further elaborated on the situation: “A bad deal would lead to legal chaos, damage investor confidence, and set a dangerous precedent for foreign control of U.S. tech.”
In addition, Moolenaar pointed out several potential negative outcomes if ByteDance maintains a controlling interest. The consequences could include lawsuits and unpredictability, along with harming U.S. companies and investor confidence. He cautioned, “U.S. tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Oracle could soon find themselves facing shareholder lawsuits, leading to escalating penalties and massive fines that jeopardize the future of their companies.”
He concluded by underscoring the importance of adhering to the Act’s requirements for any viable agreement, emphasizing that this is a matter of national security and the integrity of American technology infrastructures. “There’s still time for a ‘deal of the century’ — but only one that fully complies with the law,” he stated.
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