Congressional Hearing and Bipartisan Action on TikTok's Chinese Ties

A Congressional hearing held a year ago with the CEO of TikTok raised concerns about the app's ties to China. The CEO emphasized that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government, and highlighted measures taken to keep American data secure. However, Congress remained unconvinced about the company's ties with China. Following a five-hour contentious hearing, Republicans and Democrats found common ground in their distrust towards TikTok's Chinese connections. This led to a bipartisan effort, spearheaded by a small group of lawmakers including powerful Republican Steve Scalise, to create a new law addressing TikTok's Chinese links. Collaboration between Republicans and Democrats through a House committee focused on China and competition resulted in the drafting of the bill by less than 20 key players, kept secret throughout the process.