Trump’s TikTok delay is ‘against the law’ top Senate Intelligence Democrat says
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Summary
Trump’s move to further delay the TikTok sale deadline has been called “illegal” and a “sham” by some US politicians, leaving service providers Apple, Google and Oracle in a tricky position.
Twelve Republican members of the House Select Committee on China, including Chair John Moolenaar, released a joint statement that failed to address the legality of the extension, simply stating that “US law must be followed” and that the Chinese Communist Party “must not have access to US user data”.
In a separate statement, three Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee called for an end to China’s “ability to surveil and manipulate the American people through TikTok.”
The algorithm’s ability to shape public opinion is of greater concern to some than the potential security risk of Chinese governance, although Trump’s ignoring of the initial Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act has left Congress relatively quiet.
Some Republican politicians have previously expressed support for the divest-or-ban law, but Trump’s refusal to comply with it could lead to a full ban rather than sale of the app.