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FIRST ON FOX – A lawmaker main the Congressional-Executive Commission on China despatched a scathing discover to social media firm TikTookay for allegedly “targeting” youngsters who use the platform to foyer members of Congress against a invoice that may successfully ban the app.
On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to advance a invoice to the House ground that may require TikTookay’s Chinese guardian firm ByteDance to absolutely divest all of its functions inside 180 days or danger a ban on these apps.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in a letter to TikTookay on Friday obtained by Fox News Digital, accused the corporate of “targeting American children with Chinese Communist Party propaganda – during school hours – and recruiting minors to act as foreign agents for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)” after lawmakers have been hit with a “deluge” of calls from kids not wanting to lose entry to the app.
“The fact that children were not only used to advance this agenda but were targeted to be the primary agents of lobbying Congress on behalf of a foreign power is greatly disturbing,” the letter learn.
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“The policies and practices of ByteDance and TikTok represent an attempt by the CCP to assert their authoritarian agenda through soft power,” Smith mentioned.
In a press release to Fox News Digital, Smith mentioned,”The manipulation of TikTok users – especially children – to lobby on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’s interests by inundating congressional offices, including mine, with phone calls only underscores the urgent need for strong action to combat the CCP’s malign influence, which extends far beyond its borders even to Americans.”
As chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Smith mentioned he “extensively monitored the policies and methods the People’s Republic of China (PRC) security forces have employed to exert intrusive social controls over their own population.”
“As you know, TikTok parent ByteDance, which is headquartered in the PRC with offices in Bejing, is compelled to participate in a strategic partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. It appears the corporate structure of Bytedance Ltd., ByteTeam Ltd., TikTok Ltd., TikTok LLC, and TikTok Inc. are designed to provide layers of insulation to the CCP in its attempts to transform the character of America’s social fabric,” he continued.
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New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith. (Rep. Chris Smiths Office)
“There is no way a business entity located in the PRC may avoid partnership with the Chinese Communist Party, and there is no reason for the United States Congress to believe TikTok is able to avoid compliance with CCP demands that advance its authoritarian practices around the world, including demands that violate the human rights of those they deem undeserving of basic human dignity,” he added.
Smith mentioned it’s “imperative that Congress determine whether the CCP, directly or indirectly, demanded TikTok use children to lobby Congress on their behalf,” and gave the corporate seven days to present all inside documentation associated to the genesis, approval and execution of the advocacy marketing campaign.
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TikTookay CEO Shou Zi Chew, testifies throughout a Senate Judiciary Committee listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In talking to Fox News on Friday, Rep. Rep Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who co-authored the bipartisan invoice, mentioned that TikTookay’s foyer efforts “completely backfired.”
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“[T]hat proves the point of why people wanted to pass the legislation. The fact that they use geolocation targeting to go after minor children, to call congressional offices with misinformation about the bill, caused so many members on the U.S. committee to vote in favor of the bill. That’s precisely the reason for the bill,” he mentioned.
TikTookay didn’t instantly reply to Fox News Digital’s request for remark.
Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
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