House Committee Votes to Release Transcript of TikTok Hearing to Assist Justice Department

A U.S. House committee on Thursday voted to release a transcript from a classified hearing held in March regarding the national security threats posed by TikTok. The move aims to support the Justice Department in its defense of a law that mandates the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. assets.

The law in question could potentially ban TikTok in the United States if ByteDance fails to comply by January 19. ByteDance, TikTok, and a group of TikTok creators have filed lawsuits to block the law, arguing that it is unwarranted and harmful to the 170 million Americans who use the app.

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Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, stated that the Justice Department requested the transcript “to assist in their litigation.” The closed-door hearing, which took place in March, focused on the perceived threats TikTok poses to U.S. national security and user privacy.

The decision to release the transcript comes amid heightened scrutiny of TikTok and its data practices, with concerns that the app could be used by the Chinese government for espionage or influence operations. The release of the transcript is expected to shed more light on the discussions and evidence presented during the hearing, providing crucial context for ongoing legal proceedings.