"I will continue fighting to either ban TikTok or ensure Beijing does not control the app." – Senator Blackburn
Continue fighting to either ban TikTok or ensure Beijing does not control the app.
Occurrences
Evidence
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch have sent a letter to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, demanding they 'immediately shut down' the Seedance 2.0 AI video generator app. The senators claim the app 'poses a direct threat to the American intellectual property system' by allowing users to create content that infringes on copyrights and likenesses of artists, actors, and filmmakers without permission.
Following reporting from The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal are today demanding answers from TikTok over the company’s decision to hire several high-level executives from its China-based parent company, ByteDance. Given the Chinese government’s ability to access data held by Chinese companies, the decision to transfer ByteDance employees to influential positions at TikTok creates further questions about TikTok’s independence and may pose a significant national security risk.
Senator Blackburn has also advocated for banning TikTok in the United States or divesting the company from its Chinese Communist-owner. Following reports alleging that TikTok has stored the sensitive financial information of U.S. TikTok creators in China, including social security numbers and tax information, Senator Blackburn led a letter to the company demanding transparent answers.
Assessments
Senator Blackburn has publicly advocated for banning TikTok or ensuring divestment from Chinese control, and has taken executive steps such as co-authoring letters to TikTok and its parent company demanding answers about national security, data practices, and executive hiring. She has also joined or led requests to shut down related ByteDance apps. However, there is no evidence that TikTok has actually been banned in the U.S. or that control has been successfully removed from Beijing as a result of her actions. The efforts are clear and persistent, but the full outcome of banning TikTok or ensuring total removal of Chinese control has not been achieved.