TikTok, ahead of the hearing on the bill pushing for its ban, is facing new challenges in Congress as some senators declared intentions to disclose supposed classified intel on the app.
Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Mark Warner on Thursday endorsed efforts to release some of the analysis shared during a classified intelligence briefing yesterday regarding the app and its owner, Chinese-based ByteDance.
Warner hinted the app's "potential to manipulate content on a platform that a lot of young people look to as their No. 1 news source," NPR reported.
Lawmakers Clamp Down on TikTok's Influence on Young Voters Ahead of 2024 Elections
Many lawmakers most of which are heading for their re-election in the upcoming 2024 US Elections, are being criticized on the app for their policies on the US-Mexico border, inflation, housing, and the country's support on the Palestinian genocide in Gaza.
Among the primary targets of scrutiny is President Joe Biden, who also uses the app for his re-election campaign. Biden earlier expressed support to the proposed ban, vowing to sign it once it passes Congress.
Other senators like Sen. Maria Cantwell proposed the idea of a public hearing with the Intelligence Committee to discuss actual dangers TikTok and other social media posed to Americans.
It is worth noting that the Senate has summoned TikTok and its CEO Shou Zi Chew to public hearings to discuss the app's safety.
Majority of the hearings often devolve to Senate officials insisting Chew's, a Singaporean, connection to the Chinese government.
Congress Insists Chinese Gov't Intervention on TikTok
Calls to declassify intelligence reports on TikTok came after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence claimed Chinese officials can potentially use the social media platform "to sideline critics of China and magnify US societal divisions."
The same reasoning was echoed by representatives who voted in agreement to proposed ban on all ByteDance apps in the US.
It is worth noting that TikTok has a separate server for US users' data and algorithm provided by Texas-based Oracle Corp.
TikTok has since been warned to separate from ByteDance and sell its US divisions, which only contribute 10% to its total revenues, to a US-based company.
Chew has yet to announce plans to sell off TikTok or any of its part, instead reiterating that the app will be banned if the bill ever gets passed.
