Congressman Tim Walberg | Rep. Tim Walberg Official U.S House Headshot
Congressman Tim Walberg | Rep. Tim Walberg Official U.S House Headshot
Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-05) expressed his satisfaction following the House's approval of H.R. 7521, Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. "Foreign-controlled social media platforms, like TikTok, pose a significant national security threat according to experts," said Rep. Walberg. "Today's overwhelmingly bipartisan vote reflects an urgency to prevent adversaries from spying on Americans and abusing their personal data. If this legislation is enacted, TikTok will be forced to either break off its connection with the CCP or face removal from app stores in America."
The background leading up to this legislation includes a statement made by TikTok CEO Chew on March 23, 2023, in response to Rep. Walberg's questions regarding American data storage in China. Chew stated under oath, "American data has always been stored in Virginia and Singapore in the past, and access of this is on an as-required basis by our engineers globally."
Forbes reported on May 30, 2023, that TikTok collected sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers and tax identification numbers, from various users and businesses. This data was stored on servers in China and accessible to employees of ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company.
In response to these developments, Rep. Walberg led a group of colleagues on June 8, 2023, in demanding the Department of Justice review false statements made by TikTok CEO Chew under oath. Senator Rubio also sent a similar letter.
On March 7, 2024, Rep. Walberg voted to advance H.R. 7521, citing national security concerns. Walberg currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
For more information on Congressman Walberg's work in Congress, visit walberg.house.gov.
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