Fox’s first — Lawmakers who head the Congressional Executive Committee on China have sent a scathing notice to social media company TikTok, accusing it of “targeting” children who use the platform to lobby members of Congress to oppose the bill. May effectively ban the app.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday unanimously passed a bill that would require TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to fully sell all of its applications within 180 days or ban them. I took the risk of doing so.
In a letter to TikTok on Friday, Rep. Chris Smith (RN.J.) said the company “targets American children during school hours with Chinese Communist Party propaganda, and targets minors with “We are recruiting them as foreign agents for the CCP.” ),” after lawmakers received a “flood” of calls from children who did not want to lose access to the app.
“The fact that children were not only used to advance this agenda, but also targeted as key actors lobbying Congress on behalf of a foreign power is deeply disturbing.” says the letter.
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“ByteDance and TikTok’s policies and practices represent the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to assert authoritarian policies through soft power.”
“Manipulating TikTok users, especially children, to flood Congressional offices, including mine, with calls to lobby on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’s interests goes far beyond the bounds of the Chinese Communist Party. “It only underscores the urgent need for strong action to combat the negative impacts of this border crisis on Americans as well,” Smith said in a statement to FOX News Digital.
As chairman of the Congressional Executive Committee on China, Mr. Smith “has extensive oversight of the policies and methods employed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) security forces to exercise intrusive social control against its own people.” said.
“as you know, Parent Byte Dance on TikTokThe company, which is headquartered in China and has an office in Beijing, is forced to enter into a strategic partnership with China’s Ministry of Public Security. The corporate structures of Bytedance Ltd., ByteTeam Ltd., TikTok Ltd., TikTok LLC, and TikTok Inc. are designed to provide layers of insulation for the Chinese Communist Party as it seeks to change the character of America’s social fabric. It seems there is.
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New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith. (Congressman Chris Smith Office)
“There is no way that a business entity located in China would avoid partnering with the Chinese Communist Party, and the U.S. Congress has no reason to believe that.” TikTok Can Avoid Compliance The Chinese Communist Party has made demands that further its authoritarian practices around the world, including demands that violate the human rights of people it deems unworthy of basic human dignity. ”
Smith said it is “critical for Congress to determine whether the Chinese Communist Party, directly or indirectly, asked TikTok to use children to lobby on behalf of Congress.” , said it had given the company seven days to provide all internal documents related to the origination, approval and implementation of the advocacy campaign. motion.
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TikTok CEO Sho Zhi Chu testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington on January 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator)
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who co-authored the bipartisan bill, said in an interview on Fox News Friday that TikTok’s lobbying efforts “completely backfired.”
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”[T]”This proves the point of why people wanted this bill passed,” Krishnamoorthi said, adding, “They’re using location targeting to track minor children, and they’re making false statements about the bill.” “The fact that we had the information called into Congressional offices is what led so many U.S. committee members to vote yes.” I agree with the bill. That’s exactly the reason for this bill. ”
TikTok did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
FOX News’ Kelly Fares contributed to this report.
