Tech Deficit in U.S. Representatives

TikTok hearing illuminates incompetent lawmakers and issues of data privacy

A nonchalant tap on the “Agree” button gets you past the terms and conditions popup and to your desired content quickly, but signing away what little data privacy you have left should not be normal. As a social-media-centered society, we have become desensitized to sharing our personal information–from seemingly simple details, like our names and birthdays, to more complex interests, like our hobbies and location, online–which tailor the ads popping up on our timeline. 

The flippant manner in which we hand over our data should in no way, shape or form be a normalized part of society, but the intense omnipresence of social media makes it a part of life that’s hard to remedy without governmental interference. 

The recent congressional hearing over TikTok, conducted by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, investigated a potential ban on the social media platform due to numerous concerns, but none that were truly relevant to issues at hand. The hearing was conducted poorly and magnified the ignorance of American lawmakers. 

Our U.S. Representatives are more concerned with attacking the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew–going so far as to equate him to the Chinese Communist Party–than addressing real issues of data protection. This is both frightening and demoralizing. 

So many of these lawmakers were unable to even understand what, for many, has become common sense. Representatives asked questions about whether TikTok connects to users’ home wifi or if the app tracks your eye movement, indicating their unfamiliarity with technology. This is knowledge representatives should be expected to have when presiding over a hearing about the future of a major social media platform. Some couldn’t even pronounce the app’s name correctly and used variations like “Tic Tite” and “Tic Tak.” 

I wouldn’t trust these Congress members to convert an image to a pdf document–so why are they overseeing the future of a wildly popular social media platform, which currently has over 1 billion users? Their lack of knowledge makes it difficult to conduct comprehensive hearings and, more importantly, institute beneficial policies that fully address potential data concerns. 

However, some U.S. representatives actually did come prepared with pressing concerns about TikTok. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz. fired off a number of well-worded questions, citing the number of countries who had already banned the app due to security concerns. However, the conduct of the majority of representatives attending the hearing left Chew unable to answer questions, as the constant interruptions from Congress members hellbent on proving their unsubstantial points lasted over five hours. 

Some of the lawmakers who were conducting this hearing and will be deciding the future of TikTok in the United States have stock in other tech companies such as Meta, indicating a worrisome conflict of interest. A ban on TikTok will benefit these firms, especially Meta’s Instagram, where TikTok users will end up flocking to Instagram Reels, and another platform mimicking TikTok will eventually appear, perpetuating a toxic cycle of a lack of data privacy. 

Concern over potential Chinese government interference is valid, because the Chinese government can demand ByteDance, a Chinese company that owns TikTok, to hand over TikTok’s data under a 2017 law. This brings us to the bigger issue of data privacy and the lack of data protection laws in the United States. The absence of consumer protection not only affects TikTok but other tech companies as well, an aspect lawmakers at the TikTok hearing failed to mention. 

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been in the news a disturbing number of times for data leaks and selling user data. This isn’t specific to Meta: GoodRx, Cambridge Analytica and thousands of other apps and websites are selling our data to potentially malicious third-party organizations. Congress’s aim at TikTok hints at a rather racist and nationalistic undertone when similar attitudes aren’t also aimed at American companies who show no remorse or transparency as they sell our data. 

TikTok’s CEO is willing to address these privacy concerns by instituting  Project Texas, a $1.5 billion plan that will move all sensitive American data to servers in Austin, Texas within the year. They are to be controlled by American employees, under American supervision, subject to American laws and audited by American experts (did I mention American?). 

He also stated during the hearing that he was willing to share the source code of the TikTok algorithm. If the CEO is willing to move towards transparency, why are U.S. lawmakers continuing to harp on unrelated matters? 

The even better question may be: why aren’t U.S. lawmakers showing such intensive interest in homelessness, public transportation failures, the healthcare system and/or the plethora of issues directly and immediately affecting millions of Americans? You would think the Energy and Commerce Committee would have more pressing issues to focus on–like climate change. 

Nonetheless, the answer here isn’t to ban–we need to regulate. And this should extend past TikTok to all tech companies–including those owned by Zuckerberg and Musk.