US spy chief "cannot rule out" that China would use TikTok to influence US elections

[BlueWavePsych]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - China could use social media app TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. elections, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing on Tuesday.
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."
...
The 2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community released on Monday said TikTok accounts run by a Chinese government propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022.
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 U.S. political divisions.


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-spy-chief-cannot-rule-out-that-china-would-use-tiktok-influence-us-elections-2024-03-12/

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[mike_c]

1. I'd like to know how clean our hands are

Does the U.S. not use social media to influence events in other countries, or to harvest potentially strategic data from them? We certainly use the press.

[nowforever]

2. On TikTok

Frequently as are 170m other Americans and to close it down would result in quite a number of disgruntled users. I can see blame being focused mainly on Biden and Democrats if this happens. I know GOP are also in strong support of banning it but they would play dumb as Trump has. There is plenty of anti-Trump material on there and GenZ makes up a good portion of that faction. Lately the site has into the QVC of the internet. Would definitely delay any banning of site till after the election. Think banning would cost more harm to Democrats than Republicans.

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Sure, TikTok "could" influence the '24 elections. Maybe the Dems should just get better at

reaching that demographic?