TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is Chinese-owned, has been banned from electronic devices managed by the US House of Representatives, according to an internal notice sent to House staff. Separately, the US government will ban TikTok from all federal devices as part of legislation included in the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that President Joe Biden signed last week. The move comes after more than a dozen states in recent weeks have implemented their own prohibitions against TikTok on government devices.

TikTok has previously called efforts to ban the app from government devices “a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests.” TikTok declined to comment on the House restrictions.

Gallagher says he wants to go further. As TikTok surges in popularity, he believes it needs to be reined in.

“We have to ask whether we want the CCP to control what’s on the cusp of becoming the most powerful media company in America,” he told NBC. Gallagher supported the ban on TikTok on government devices and said the United States should “expand that ban nationally.”

The company has been accused of censoring content that is politically sensitive to the Chinese government, including banning some accounts that posted about China’s mass detention camps in its western region of Xinjiang. The US State Department estimates that up to 2 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in these camps.

“What if they start censoring the news, right? What if they start tweaking the algorithm to determine what the CCP deems fit to print,” Gallagher warned, analogizing the situation to the KGB and Pravda buying The New York Times and other major newspapers during the height of the Cold War.

US policymakers have cited TikTok as a potential national security risk, and critics have said ByteDance could be compelled by Chinese authorities to hand over TikTok data pertaining to US citizens or to act as a channel for malign influence operations. Security experts have said that the data could allow China to identify intelligence opportunities or to seek to influence Americans through disinformation campaigns.

There is no evidence that that has actually occurred, though the company last month confirmed that it fired four employees who improperly accessed the TikTok user data of two journalists on the platform.

But TikTok has hundreds of millions of downloads in the United States, and the highly influential social media platform has helped countless online creators build brands and livelihoods. As its popularity soars, TikTok may have grown too big to ban.

Working toward a resolution

Since 2020, TikTok has been negotiating with the US government on a potential deal to resolve the national security concerns and allow the app to remain available to US users. TikTok has said that the potential agreement under review covers “key concerns around corporate governance, content recommendation and moderation, and data security and access.” The company has also taken some steps to wall off US user data, organizationally and technologically, from other parts of TikTok’s business.

But an apparent lack of progress in the talks has led some of TikTok’s critics, including in Congress and at the state level, to push for the app to be banned from government devices and potentially more broadly.

Gallagher said on “Meet the Press” that he would be open to a sale of TikTok to an American company, but “the devil is in the details.” He continued, “I don’t think this should be a partisan issue.”

When asked about Russia’s investment in Telegram and the Saudi investment in Twitter, Gallagher said that his “broad concern, of which both of those are part, is where we see authoritarian governments exploiting technology in order to exert total control over their citizens,” calling it “techno-totalitarian control.”

Gallagher also called for “reciprocity,” noting that Chinese officials are allowed on apps like Twitter but Chinese citizens are not allowed access to those same apps. He said he would like to see an arrangement under which “if your government doesn’t allow your citizens access to the platform, we’re going to deny your government officials access to that same platform.”

“The government can’t raise your kids, can’t protect your kids for you,” Gallagher said, “but there are certain sensible things we can do in order to create a healthier social media ecosystem.”

According to Gallagher, who has been chosen by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to oversee the new select committee in the upcoming Congress, the video app ought to be outlawed in the country. (McCarthy is the presumptive front-runner to be elected House speaker when the new session starts on Tuesday, but he still lacks the necessary number of vote pledges.)

According to an internal memo distributed to House staff, TikTok, whose parent firm, ByteDance, is controlled by China, has been prohibited from being used on electronic devices under the control of the US House of Representatives. Separately, as part of the $1.7 trillion omnibus measure that President Joe Biden signed last week, the US government would outlaw TikTok on all governmental devices. The action follows the recent implementation of similar restrictions against TikTok on government-owned devices by more than a dozen states.

Ban attempts against the app have been described by TikTok as "a political gesture that will not benefit national security objectives." With regard to the House limits, TikTok declined to comment.

Gallagher claims that he wants to continue. He thinks TikTok should be curbed as its popularity soars.

He told NBC, "We have to decide if we want the CCP to run what is about to become the most powerful media organization in America. Gallagher agreed that TikTok should not be used on government computers and suggested that the restriction be "nationally expanded" in the US.

The business has been accused of blocking certain accounts that posted about China's enormous detention camps in the western province of Xinjiang and of filtering information that the Chinese government deems politically sensitive. Up to 2 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are thought to have been imprisoned in these camps, according to the US State Department.

"What if they begin to restrict the news, you know? Gallagher sounded the alarm, drawing a comparison between the scenario and the KGB and Pravda acquiring The New York Times and other major newspapers during the height of the Cold War. "What if they start changing the algorithm to decide what the CCP thinks fit to print," Gallagher said.

TikTok has been identified as a possible national security issue by US politicians, and detractors have claimed that ByteDance may be forced by Chinese authorities to turn over TikTok data related to US residents or serve as a conduit for nefarious influence activities. According to security professionals, the information may enable China to see possibilities for intelligence gathering or to try to sway Americans through misinformation efforts.

Although the business last month announced that it terminated four workers who inappropriately accessed the TikTok user data of two journalists on the platform, there is no proof that this has actually happened.

However, TikTok has hundreds of millions of downloads in the US, and the powerful social media platform has assisted many online producers in establishing their identities and earning potential. TikTok may have become too large to be banned as its popularity increases.

Since 2020, TikTok has been in talks with the US government about a potential agreement to allay the national security worries and let US users continue to use the app. According to TikTok, "important issues regarding corporate governance, content recommendation and moderation, and data security and access" are covered by the proposed agreement under evaluation. Additionally, the firm has made various organizational and technological changes to wall off US user data from other areas of TikTok's operations.

However, a perceived lack of development in the negotiations has prompted some of TikTok's detractors, notably those in Congress and at the state level, to advocate for the app's prohibition from government devices and maybe a wider range of gadgets.

The devil, according to Gallagher, is in the details, although he indicated on "Meet the Press" that he would be open to selling TikTok to an American business. I don't think this should be a party issue, he continued.

When asked about the investments made by Saudi Arabia and Russia in Telegram and Twitter, respectively, Gallagher stated that his "broad worry," of which both of those are a part, is the use of technology by authoritarian regimes to establish "techno-totalitarian control" over their population.

Gallagher also demanded "reciprocity," adding that while Chinese officials are permitted on applications like Twitter, Chinese civilians are not. He stated that he would want to see a deal where "we're going to deny your government officials access to the same platform" if "your government doesn't give your folks access to the platform."

There are certain reasonable things we can do to build a healthy social media ecosystem, but the government can't raise your children or safeguard them for you, Gallagher added.