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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TIKTOK HEARING PREVIEW
HEADLINE: TikTok CEO to Testify Before Congress
TEASER: Lawmakers have questions about China and privacy
DATE: 3/16/23, 2:07p
BYLINE: Deana Mitchell
DATELINE: Austin, Texas
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER: Deana Mitchell
SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, Reifenrath SR
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Reuters, AP, Zoom
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO_ X_
TRT: 2:26
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:
((INTRO:))
[[TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House Committee
on Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23. Lawmakers have questions about
the app’s connections to China. For VOA, Deana Mitchell tells us what to expect from
the TikTok hearing.]]
((NARRATOR))
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to face questions from U.S. lawmakers about
the Chinese-owned app's privacy and data security practices, child safety policies and
ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
At an earlier hearing on security threats, Senator Marco Rubio asked FBI Director
Christopher Wray about TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, which is headquartered
in Beijing.
((Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican))
"Could the Chinese government, through its ownership of ByteDance, that owns
ByteDance US, if they wanted to, and ByteDance were forced to cooperate, could they
use TikTok to control data on millions of users?"
((Christopher Wray, FBI Director))
“Yes.”
((Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican))
“Could they use it to control the software on millions of devices, given the opportunity to
do so?”
((Christopher Wray, FBI Director))
“Yes.”
((Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican))
“They can collect our data, manipulate information, poison the minds and feed garbage
into the minds of millions of people and so forth. This is a substantial national security
threat for the country of a kind that we didn’t face in the past.”
((Nats))Brooke Oberwetter speaking on low volume–Mandatory CG: ZOOM))
((NARRATOR))
TikTok executives like public policy communications head Brooke Oberwetter say they
are addressing U.S. security concerns.
((Brooke Oberwetter, TikTok Public Policy Communications Head)) ((Zoom))
“First and foremost, the Chinese government has never asked to see U.S. user data,
and we have never provided them U.S. user data, nor would we if they asked us to. All
of our data is now routed through the Oracle Cloud infrastructure, where it's kept in a
secure environment that is managed by our U.S. data security team."
((NARRATOR))
Heritage Foundation researcher Jake Denton says having TikTok on your phone is like
carrying around a personal surveillance balloon.
((Jake Denton, Heritage Foundation)) ((Zoom))
“This application is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It is uniquely capable of surveilling and
collecting massive amounts of data. There is also a great deal of Chinese propaganda.
There's a great deal of data collection, and it just creates a massive vulnerability for
ordinary Americans and our government.”
((NARRATOR))
In December, TikTok was banned on federally owned devices. Some states, including
Texas and Mississippi, have also moved to restrict the app. But researcher James
Lewis says a complete ban is unlikely.
((James Lewis, Center for Strategic and International Studies)) ((Zoom))
“Unfortunately, for the people who want to ban TikTok, the Constitution doesn't allow
them to do that. Texas has the authority to say, ‘You can't use it on a state-owned
device. You can't use it at work on a state network,’ but you can't tell people what to do
in their private lives.”
((NARRATOR))
Congress is considering bipartisan legislation that would give President Joe Biden
power to ban any foreign-based technology that poses a national security threat.
((Deana Mitchell, for VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Austin, Texas
Embargo DateMarch 16, 2023 18:07 EDT
Byline
((Deana Mitchell, for VOA News))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English