Big Tech

In today’s "Dangerous Partners: Big Tech & Beijing" hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced he would introduce legislation to ban all federal employees from the use of TikTok on government devices. Senator Hawley said, "TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Chinese Communist Party members in leadership, and it is requires by Chinese law to share user data with Beijing. TikTok has admitted that it...

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced the following witnesses for the hearing entitled “Dangerous Partners: Big Tech & Beijing.” The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at 2:30 p.m. ET in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Senator Hawley invited representatives from both Apple and TikTok to testify. Both companies declined his invitation – just as they did for the Subcommittee’s hearing in...

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will hold a hearing next Wednesday as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee, titled “Dangerous Partners: Big Tech & Beijing.” Members of law enforcement have agreed to testify, but TikTok and Apple have once again declined Senator Hawley’s invitation – just as they did in November. “This is a troubling pattern of secrecy from Apple and TikTok,” said Senator Hawley. "Doing business with Beijing poses great security risks,...

"The FTC isn’t working. It wastes time in turf wars with the DOJ, nobody is accountable for decisions, and it lacks the ‘teeth’ to get after Big Tech’s rampant abuses. Congress needs to do something about it. I’m proposing to overhaul the FTC to make it more accountable and efficient while strengthening its enforcement authority. This is about bringing the FTC into the 21st century."

“Location data is among the most sensitive personal information that a user can share with a company. Today, modern smartphones can reveal location data beyond a mere street address,” the Senators wrote. “We appreciate Facebook’s attempt to proactively inform users about their privacy options. However, we are concerned that Facebook may not in fact be offering users the level of control that the company suggests these settings provide.”

“Current law makes it far too easy for hostile foreign governments like China to access Americans' sensitive data. Chinese companies with vast amounts of personal data on Americans are required by Chinese law to provide that data to Chinese intelligence services. If your child uses TikTok, there's a chance the Chinese Communist Party knows where they are, what they look like, what their voices sound like, and what they’re watching. That's a feature TikTok doesn't advertise."

FBI Director Wray told Senator Hawley American companies storing data in China “is something we’re concerned about in part because. . . Chinese law essentially compels Chinese companies and typically compels U.S. companies that are operating in China to have relationships with different kinds of Chinese companies to provide whatever information the government wants whenever it wants.”

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced the following witnesses for the hearing entitled “How Corporations and Big Tech Leave Our Data Exposed to Criminals, China, and Other Bad Actors.” The hearing will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

As big corporations collect ever-increasing amounts of personal data, they become even more appealing targets for hacking. This hearing will explore the state of cyber security in America, and how the government and private sector are facing this growing threat.