Rep. Trahan of Mass. recaps TikTok congressional hearing
The debate over TikTok from concerns over national security to the impact on social media on teens. The app is on the hot seat. In Massachusetts, Congresswoman Lori Trehan was one of the House lawmakers questioning TikTok CEO at a hearing earlier this week. Congresswoman Trehan, thank you so much for joining us this morning. First, here is what TikTok CEO said at Thursday's hearing about security concerns. The bottom line is this, American data stored on American soil by an American company overseen by American personnel. So you were there.
Does that declaration reassure you at all? No, I don't think Mr. Chu did anything to build confidence about protecting data and we have some real security concerns. The same morning that he was testifying the Chinese government came out and said that they would not allow a sale, which tells you everything you need to know about the influence that they have on the company. So walling off data in this day and age where data is global, it crosses boundaries every nanosecond of the day, we need a little, we need a lot more assurance of how that data would be treated. At the hearing, your questions were really about transparency and child protections. And you've pushed Facebook and Google on the same issues. What do you want or need to hear from these companies? Well, I think first and foremost what we're doing in this moment is pushing to pass a comprehensive privacy bill.
Our laws have not kept pace with the rapid evolution of these tech platforms. But one by one, these CEOs have an opportunity to do the right thing. And when they come to Congress and are faced with these substantive questions, they just don't have answers on what they're going to do to protect our children. They know that mental health is playing out in real time on their platforms. They've not redesigned their platforms to deal with that. And then frankly, they're surveilling our kids and targeting ads and pushing content to them. That's not age appropriate.
And so I was, you know, disappointed that Mr. Chu, knowing that I would ask those questions, didn't come with tangible actions. It's not just a teen platform. More than one in three Americans are using the app. The backlash to any ban could be substantial. Some people make a living off of it. How are lawmakers factoring that aspect into any decisions about the next steps? Well, it's a concern and it's why we have to take a thoughtful approach.
The legislation that's been introduced has, you know, made sure that we're putting our security, our national security, concerns first, but that we go through a process. This is ultimately going to be up to the administration to continue its investigation and its negotiation, right, to see if there's a way that TikTok can exist while also protecting our national security. And so look, this is a very, it has to be a very substantive process so that we can, you communicate that to the American people. But I don't think that Mr. Chu did himself any favors this week in that debate on whether to ban or not. There's still too many unanswered questions. Congresswoman Trujhan, thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you so much.
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