The US House of Representatives is due to vote on a bill giving Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to sell that part of its business

China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 US elections, the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, has told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing.

Asked by Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi if China’s ruling Communist party (CCP) would use TikTok to influence the elections, Haines said “we cannot rule out that the CCP would use it”.

Lawmakers have long voiced concerns that the Chinese government could access user data or influence what people see on the app, including pushing content to stoke US political divisions.

  • Flying Squid
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    -28 months ago

    My guess is that they suspect that TikTok, unlike Twitter, will not help Trump.

    • @Stovetop
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      38 months ago

      Trump has now signaled he is against banning TikTok, so I expect any attempts to do so will fail in the House after all of his followers in Congress suddenly U-turn on their earlier stance.

      The MAGA crowd is likely now going to spin this as an attempt by Biden to stifle the free market and control the messaging during the election.

      • @Pretzilla
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        8 months ago

        Rachel Maddow just covered this.

        Drumft came out for TikTok after meeting at Mag-a-Lardo with a billionaire TikTok investor.

        He’s desperate for a sugar daddy to cover his half billion bar tab.

        • @glimse
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          18 months ago

          There is no bar tab. Trump doesn’t drink.

          He needs a sugar daddy to cover his half billion diaper tab.