China

‘I Don’t Buy It’: Both Democrats and Republicans don’t believe TikTok’s pledge to protect Americans from CCP

Published

2 years ago

March 24, 2023

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had a hard time smoothing things over with both Democrats and Republicans during his Thursday testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. both parties expressed cynicism towards the notion that TikTok would protect U.S. data and American users of the app from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Specifically, lawmakers and regulators are concerned “about Chinese laws which require companies based in the country, such as TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, to provide the CCP with access to user data and other proprietary information” reports National Review.

National Review noted that TikTok was reportedly told by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., an inter-agency panel consisting of nine cabinet-level officials, to sell its stake in the social-media app or risk a ban in the U.S.

Before Chew testified on Thursday, China said it strongly opposed ByteDance’s divestment from the social-media platform. China’s Commerce Ministry said that a sale or divestiture of TikTok would involve exporting technology and had to be approved by the Chinese government, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Democrat and ranking member, Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. of New Jersey said Chew’s solution of a $1.5 billion plan nicknamed ‘Project Texas’ which allegedly would “wall off U.S. operations, with all data being stored here” is unacceptable.

Project Texas would give U.S. company Oracle based in Texas the ability to access TikTok’s algorithms in order to flag issues for government inspectors. “I still believe that the Beijing Communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do. So this idea, this Project Texas is simply not acceptable,” Pallone said.

“Look, the impression you are giving, and I can understand why you are giving that impression, is that you are just performing some kind of public service here. Right? I mean this is a benign company that is just performing a public service. Maybe that’s not what you are saying, but I don’t buy it,” Pallone continued.

Democrat Marc Veasey of Texas stated to Chew, “A lot of your evasiveness today in answering many of these questions really disturbs me.” The committee’s chairwoman, Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington opened the hearing by exposing Chew off the bat: “You state that ByteDance is not beholden to the CCP. Again, each of the individuals I listed are affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.”

China

GOP Senator Warns Chinese Hackers Breach Major U.S. Telecom Networks, Spying on Millions

Published

1 week ago

November 25, 2024

Sara Carter Staff

Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota warned Friday that Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, have infiltrated all major U.S. telecommunications providers, enabling them to spy on millions of Americans. The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that Rounds spoke at Halifax The Forum, during which he revealed that hackers can access texts and phone conversations across networks like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

“Any one of us today is subject to review by the Chinese Communist government,” Rounds said. “They can read your texts and hear your conversations—it’s just a matter of who they choose to target.”

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the breach “the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history.” Hackers reportedly accessed law enforcement wiretap request logs, revealing investigative targets, though the wiretap systems themselves were not compromised.

The intrusion, ongoing for over a year, exploited outdated infrastructure and network trust, allowing real-time eavesdropping and data exfiltration. While fewer than 150 individuals were directly targeted, millions of associated contacts were compromised. High-profile targets include former President Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and White House officials, according to The Washington Post.

Efforts to expel the hackers remain challenging. Removing them requires replacing thousands of routers and switches across affected networks. Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger urged stricter cybersecurity measures, warning, “We must lock our digital doors.”