Reporters who cover foreign policy and/or national security tend to be big fans of the annual “worldwide threats” hearings in the House and Senate. The US intelligence community puts out an annual report, and senior intelligence officials testify about what it says — and, of course, face an array of questions from lawmakers.
When I covered Congress, it was one of my favorite recurring events. You could write 10-15 stories just from this one hearing.
You are probably aware of the current pressure on TikTok: There is bipartisan legislation that requires the social media giant to part ways with China-based ByteDance, its parent company, or be banned from the US. The legislation has roots in American national security concerns, at least for the most part.* Those concerns have shifted since TikTok launched
They used to focus on the individual personal data the app collects. (I used to joke that if China wanted my son’s personal information, they would have to buy it from Meta just like any other world power.)
What you hear more often now is that TikTok’s huge popularity in the US — estimates range from 100 million to 170 million unique monthly users — would enable Beijing to spread propaganda in the event of a crisis, like China moving on Taiwan.
You can see where I am going with this. What did the worldwide threats report just delivered today (March 11) to Congress say about TikTok?
Well. It only referred once to TikTok *by name.*
So that seems…pretty mild, right? Maybe “mild” is the wrong word, but influence operations are not new and not confined to TikTok.
But when you start reading between the lines of what the report says more broadly about China and influence ops or information ops, it’s hard not to see “TikTok” lurking there.
So, for instance:
“Beijing is expanding its global covert influence posture to better support the CCP's goals. The PRC aims to sow doubts about U.S. leadership, undermine democracy, and extend Beijing's influence. Beijing's information operations primarily focus on promoting pro-China narratives, refuting U.S.- promoted narratives, and countering U.S. and other countries' policies that threaten Beijing's interests, including China's international image, access to markets. and technological expertise.
• Beijing's growing efforts to actively exploit perceived U.S. societal divisions using its online personas move it closer to Moscow's playbook for influence operations.”
And:
“Beijing is intensifying efforts to mold U.S. public discourse - particularly on core sovereignty issues. such as Hong Kong, Taiwan. Tibet, and Xinjiang. The PRC monitors Chinese students abroad for dissident views, mobilizes Chinese student associations to conduct activities on behalf of Beijing, and influences research by U.S. academics and think tank experts. The PRC may attempt to influence the U.S. elections in 2024 at some level because of its desire to sideline critics of China and magnify U.S. societal divisions. PRC actors' have increased their capabilities to conduct covert influence operations and disseminate disinformation. Even if Beijing sets limits on these activities, individuals not under its direct supervision may attempt election influence activities they perceive are in line with Beijing's goal.”
I’m not watching the hearing, so I don’t know which lawmakers will push the witnesses on these concerns. I’m pretty sure some of them will, though. And that the name “TikTok” will get used a lot more than just once.
* “for the most part” because there are some lawmakers who want to go after social media more broadly, arguing it has deleterious effects on mental health.
I fear for Taiwan because the Chinese are gradually impinging on the space around the island such that soon there is nowhere free of their deliberate in-your-face presence. Setting the situation up for an eventual walk-in to the island, when there will be nowhere for those poor Taiwanese to go - the Chinese will simply absorb the whole place into their identity & anyone who represents obstruction of that Chinese ideal will be imprisoned or killed ! A thriving, highly civilized place reduced to subservience - I feel very sorry for them - lets face it NOBODY willingly becomes Chinese - they have nothing to offer the rest of the world but subjugation ! The Taiwan people show what freedom means & how prosperous it makes them - giving them the admiration of the whole world - not so China, which is considered a plague on the planet !
Its funny because for a long time now , the truth is the best propaganda the US governments competitors can buy.