The same week that President Joe Biden signed legislation to end the national security risk posed by TikTok, his presidential campaign said it would continue to use the app, a move that U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) called dangerous.
“Your presidential campaign defiantly continues to use TikTok, ignoring the serious concerns your own administration’s officials have raised,” wrote Sen. Ernst and U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) in an April 26 letter sent to Biden. “We call on you to suspend the use of your TikTok account until ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, sells the application to a responsible U.S. buyer.”
The lawmakers pointed out that TikTok has a proven track record of spying on U.S. citizens, while the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is reportedly refusing to green-light the divestiture of TikTok from ByteDance, according to their letter.
“We should not need to remind you why your campaign’s use of TikTok is dangerous,” Sen. Ernst and her colleague wrote. “Senior officials in your administration have repeatedly pointed out the grave national security risks TikTok causes under its current ownership.”
Similarly, the lawmakers are worried that many members of Biden’s party also have TikTok accounts and are using the app to disseminate their political message despite the risks associated with the application, they wrote.
“The national security threats TikTok poses are grave. Until TikTok is out of CCP hands, we call on you to suspend your TikTok account,” wrote Sen. Ernst and her colleague. “Leadership starts at the very top, and we hope you can set a good example to the many Americans using TikTok by suspending the use of this application until we know for sure that it is safe for use.”