Episode description

Last week, TikTok CEO Shou Chew appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for a marathon hearing focused on national security and other concerns with the popular social media app. His goal was to assuage lawmakers’ concerns, but, if anything, the app’s future in the United States looks more bleak than ever. But how likely is an outright ban or divestiture from TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance? Would these measures truly solve the national security risks? And what are the political and legal implications? Evan is joined by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to discuss.

References:

• House Energy and Commerce hearing
• Twitter thread by Carr responding to Chew’s written testimony
• Press conference with Rep. Jamaal Bowman and TikTok creators
• Variety report with analyst predictions on likelihood and timeline of a ban or divestiture
• Vice report on TikTok pushing suicide videos to teenagers
• The Hill report on DoJ investigating TikTok over surveillance of journalists
• Clip of MSNBC analyst advocating a broader approach to Chinese apps