Cybersecurity Policy Report, Chinese Influence Over TikTok Unknown as Company Evades Congress, Moolenaar Says, (Sep 3, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Oracle Systems Corporation
TikTok has reneged on an agreement to send its chief security officer to answer questions at a House “roundtable” about its connections to the Chinese government, according to Rep. John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
"TikTok has backed out of its commitment to appear at the Committee’s September roundtable to answer questions on China’s influence over TikTok’s algorithm and its access to Americans’ data,” Rep. Moolenaar said today in a statement.
“Over the last five months, the Committee has negotiated in good faith with TikTok and the company agreed to have its Chief Security Officer appear at a bipartisan, Committee roundtable in September. Now, TikTok is refusing to appear citing its own desire to avoid broader scrutiny of its child safety practices,” he alleged.
TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture LLC (TikTok USDS), an entity formed to comply with U.S. law, did not respond to a request for comment.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd., sold most of TikTok’s U.S. assets to TikTok USDS, a joint venture owned in part by Oracle Corp. and various investment firms, to comply with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act of 2024, which required TikTok to sever its ties to the Chinese government or face a shutdown of its U.S. operations. ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake in TikTok USDS.
The restructuring of its U.S. operations earned TikTok a reprieve from another law, the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which banned TikTok’s presence on federal government networks and devices. The White House Office of Management and Budget recently told federal agencies they were free to use the app again (CPR, Aug. 13).
But documentation that TikTok USDS was truly free from Chinese government influence, including which entity was responsible for maintaining and updating its recommendation algorithm, was never made public. Rep. Moolenaar pledged last year that his committee would examine the deal and hold a hearing this year (CPR, Sept. 26, 2025).
Rep. Moolenaar reiterated that pledge today. “We will continue to work in good faith to protect the American people and ensure TikTok executives publicly address the Committee’s questions regarding its operations and safeguards—consistent with the requirements of the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—before the end of the year,” he said.
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