New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is facing criticism for her defense of TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform, after it was revealed that the company donated $150,000 each to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in December 2022.
The lobbying contribution report from TikTok’s parent company ByteDance shows the six-figure donations, prompting criticism from experts like Heritage Foundation tech policy expert Jake Denton, who pointed out that AOC is a member of the CHCI advisory council.
TikTok’s parent company gave $150,000 to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
AOC is a member of the CHCI advisory council.
What a coincidence! https://t.co/74BrFMGeQA
— Jake Denton (@RealJDenton) March 26, 2023
However, the Congresswoman’s defense of TikTok came in response to the recent calls to ban the platform in the US over concerns about national security and data privacy.
During a hearing in December, TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew Florida testified before the Congressional House Energy and Commerce Committee about the extent to which the company shares users’ data with the Chinese Communist Party.
Following Chew’s testimony, several calls were made to ban TikTok in the US. However, Ocasio-Cortez argued that the solution was not to ban an individual company, but to protect Americans from data harvesting by social media companies.
Good points but that's not what banning TikTok is about.
It's a national security concern just like Huawei. Other countries have either banned it totally or on government devices which is also unprecedented for social media companies.
The safety and security 🔐 of Americans has…
— Jay (@juwon_io) March 26, 2023
Despite her arguments, some experts and social media users have criticized Ocasio-Cortez for her defense of TikTok.
American Foreign Policy Council fellow Michael Sobolik said that the Congresswoman echoed “TikTok’s talking points and ignores the app’s true threat: CCP-directed disinformation.” Meanwhile, University of Rochester computer science and economics professor Sar Haribhakti accused her of turning the issue into a “data privacy” and social media issue, ignoring the “info control & influence argument.”
AOC: Congress has not received a classified briefing on national security concerns around Tiktok. This even though 2020 Trump era executive order called out national emergency? https://t.co/7qWG4EIHw8
— Paul Triolo (@pstAsiatech) March 27, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez argued that before a decision as significant as banning TikTok is made, the public deserves to know the justifications behind it.
She also stressed the importance of protecting individuals’ ability to exist without social media companies harvesting and commodifying their data without consent.
