TikTok is supposedly being used by the Chinese government to intervene with the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Elections, a new report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says.
According to the agency's annual threat assessment report, Chinese officials may potentially use the social media platform "to sideline critics of China and magnify US societal divisions."
(Photo : Solen Feyissa via Unsplash)
The report cited supposed similar operations during the 2022 Midterm Elections through disinformation campaigns and "experimenting with generative AI."
The ODNI, however, did not disclose how the "PRC (People's Republic of China) propaganda arm" affected US elections.
The report was published amidst calls to ban TikTok from the US if its parent company, the Chinese-based ByteDance, does not divest from the social media app.
It is worth noting that TikTok has a separate server in partnership with the US government to store all of its US users' data.
Also Read: Biden on TikTok Ban Bill: 'I'll Sign It'
TikTok Ban Looms Ahead with New House Bill
The proposed Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act has already passed the first House panel with a unanimous 50-0 vote.
The bill primarily targets ByteDance and all of its affiliated apps "controlled by foreign adversary companies" to be banned in the US.
TikTok has responded to the approval by accusing the House of pushing legislation "attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression."
Previous laws passed to ban TikTok have been junked over potential violations of the First Amendment of free speech.
The bill is set to face a full House panel hearing before it gets the approval to reach Congress.
US Criticisms on TikTok Run Rampant Over Human Rights Abuses
Posts scrutinizing or criticizing the US government have been indeed reported to run rampant on TikTok, albeit for a different intention as the ODNI depicts it.
Axios earlier reported how more Pro-Palestine posts receive more views on TikTok than the Pro-Israeli posts, more than any other social media platforms in the US.
Many of the videos with the hashtag #StandwithPalestine often blast the current administration for supporting Israel in its ongoing assault on Gaza and civilian Palestinians.
The US, along with Israel, has been among the nations that denied calls for a ceasefire in the region obliterated by air strikes.
The posts, so far, have reflected on President Joe Biden's bid for re-election with surveys noting voters to be dissatisfied with the US policies in the Middle East.
TikTok, despite advertising itself as an entertainment platform, hosted more political content over the past years as other sites imposed stricter censorship.
Related Article: What Happens if TikTok was Banned in the US?
