US lawmakers say TikTok joint venture deal needs scrutiny from Congress

Some U.S. lawmakers on Friday said ‍a deal by TikTok’s Chinese owner ​ByteDance to establish a majority American-owned joint venture to avoid a U.S. ban on ⁠the social media app needs scrutiny from Congress.

Representative Jack Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House select committee on China, said the committee would conduct oversight of the deal finalised Thursday, adding China “cannot be allowed to weaponise an app ‌to divide and ‌weaken our country. Does this deal ensure China does not have influence over the algorithm? Can the parties involved assure Americans their data is ‌secure? Those are questions that need to be answered.”