In the face of rising evidence that TikTok is sharing personal data with its Chinese parent company, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for transparency from the app.
In a letter to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Blumenthal and his fellow legislator at the Capitol, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, urged the office to declassify information about the social media app and its parent company’s use of Americans’ personal information.
The letter, addressed to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, said that the senators are concerned with the reports that have come out about the use of consumer data and its storage in Chinese databases.
“We are deeply troubled by the information and concerns raised by the intelligence community in recent classified briefings to Congress. TikTok is a weapon in the hands of the Chinese government, and poses an active risk to our democratic institutions and national security,” the letter read. “As Congress and the Administration consider steps to address TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government, it is critically important that the American people, especially TikTok users, understand the national security issues at stake.
Blumenthal has been a strong supporter of forcing a sale of TikTok by its parent company ByteDance, and he and Blackburn have been lead sponsors of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) – which carries provisions for protections of young people on apps like TikTok.
Blumenthal and Blackburn had previously written letters to TikTok, such as in June of 2023 asking for the app to disclose how the information of its consumers was accessed and stored. The company admitted last year that the information is kept and stored in China.
The letter also raised concerns about TikTok’s censoring of human rights violations in China.
At a hearing in January, Blumenthal said that he did not anticipate social media sites like TikTok to support KOSA.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we can count on social media as a group, or Big Tech, to support this measure, and in the past, we know it has been opposed by armies of lawyers and lobbyists,” he said. “We are prepared for this fight, but I am very, very glad that we have parents here.”
