Senator Warner Concerns The Use Of TikTok By The Biden Campaign Team

Senator Mark Warner is concerned about the use of TikTok by campaign team Joe Biden (photo: x @MarkWarner)

JAKARTA - The Senate Intelligence Committee chairman said on Monday 12 February that he was concerned about the US President Joe Biden's campaign team's decision to join the short video app TikTok. Meanwhile, the White House said that nothing had changed about the government's national security concerns.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner said he was concerned about the national security implications of TikTok owned by China and the Biden campaign team's decision to join.

"I think we still need to find a way to follow India, which has banned TikTok," Warner said on the sidelines of an event. "I'm a little worried about mixed messages."

A number of Republican members have also criticized the campaign decision to join TikTok, citing national security. Biden's campaign now has more than 57,000 followers on TikTok. While TikTok itself did not immediately comment on Warner's statement.

The White House noted that the ban on the use of TikTok on government officials approved by Congress in late 2022 remains in effect.

"Nothing has changed about national security concerns, from the perspective of the National Security Council, about the use of TikTok on government devices. The policy is still in effect," said White House spokesman John Kirby.

The committee, led by the United States Department of Finance (CFIUS) in March 2023, asked Chinese-based TikTok owners to sell their shares, or face a possible ban on the app, but the government did not take any action.

White House press spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that a review by CFIUS was still ongoing and noted that the White House previously supported the legislation proposed by Warner and others to provide administration of new tools to address threats posed by foreign-owned applications.

Efforts at Congress to ban TikTok or provide administration of new tools to limit it have stalled, but some lawmakers want the Commerce Department to include TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, on the export control list. Last month, TikTok notified Congress that 170 million Americans are now using the short video app, up from 150 million a year earlier.

The Biden campaign team said Sunday that it was taking " state-of-the-art security measures around our devices and incorporating advanced security protocols to ensure security" as they seek to approach young voters using the app.