{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-stefanik-push-answers-us-military-about-participation-tiktok-ad/", "Hawley, Stefanik Push for Answers from U.S. Military about Participation in TikTok Ad", "2023-05-02", "2023", "2023-05", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) have sent a letter to Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Daniel Hokanson, demanding answers for an Air National Guardsman\u2019s participation in a recent advertisement on TikTok that appears to serve as a de facto National Guard endorsement of a Chinese-controlled platform.\n\nThe TikTok advertisement features a member of the Air National Guard expressing his support for and use of TikTok. In the video, the Servicemember explains how he personally uses this platform from the perspective of his military service and that it \u201callows [him] to reach the military community.\u201d\n\nSenator Hawley and Congresswoman Stefanik wrote, \u201cThis is extremely concerning given the known threats TikTok poses to Americans-especially so as TikTok is now banned on all U.S. Government devices.\u201d\n\nThey continued, \u201cNot only does TikTok play a leading role in manipulating American citizens\u2019 perceptions of China generally, but influence operations like this could directly undermine the National Guard\u2019s ability to mobilize in crisis or conflict. [\u2026] Both TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party continue to actively undermine American interests, both in the Indo-Pacific and in the American homeland, that the National Guard is tasked to defend.\u201d\n\nIn January, Senator Hawley introduced the No TikTok on United States Devices Act to prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States and ban commercial activity with TikTok\u2019s parent company, ByteDance.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley\u2019s No TikTok on Government Devices was signed into law effectively banning the Chinese app on all federal devices \u2013 including those belonging to the Department of Defense.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nApril 28, 2023\n\nGeneral Daniel Hokanson\n\nChief National Guard Bureau\n\n111 S George Mason Drive Arlington VA 22204\n\nDear General Hokanson,\n\nWe write to express our concern over a recent TikTok advertisement featuring an Air National Guardsman expressing his support for, and use of, TikTok. In the advertisement, he immediately identifies himself as a member of the Air National Guard. As a result, the video appears to serve as a de facto National Guard endorsement of TikTok\u2019s platform. This is extremely concerning given the known threats TikTok poses to Americans-especially so as TikTok is now banned on all U.S. Government devices. It is therefore imperative that the National Guard Bureau (NGB) clarify its policies on official and unofficial use of TikTok to both Servicemembers and the American people.\n\nChinese intelligence and security services use TikTok to surveil, exploit, and manipulate the American people. TikTok\u2019s parent company, ByteDance, is a Chinese company and therefore must comply with Article 7 of China\u2019s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which states, \u201cAny organization or citizen shall support, assist, and cooperate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law.\u201d This is especially concerning considering that China-based employees of ByteDance routinely access non-public U.S. user data, despite TikTok\u2019s official statements to the contrary.\n\nThe National Guard plays an integral role in carrying out the National Defense Strategy, which correctly identifies China as our most consequential strategic competitor. Not only does TikTok play a leading role in manipulating American citizens\u2019 perceptions of China generally, but influence operations like this could directly undermine the National Guard\u2019s ability to mobilize in crisis or conflict. Additionally, TikTok\u2019s data collection could pose threats to the operational security of National Guard operations. Both TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party continue to actively undermine American interests, both in the Indo-Pacific and in the American homeland, that the National Guard is tasked to defend.\n\nWith these concerns in mind, we request answers to the following questions:\n\nHas NGB prohibited use of TikTok on official government devices in accordance with federal law?\n\nHas NGB provided guidance to National Guardsmen about the use of TikTok on personal devices? If so, please share this guidance. If not, please explain why NGB has not provided such guidance to National Guardsmen.\n\nHow does NGB mitigate the risk of operational security violations when data collection platforms like TikTok are utilized by Servicemembers in their personal capacity?\n\nHow can NGB better communicate benefits offered by the National Guard to current and prospective Guardsmen using platforms other than TikTok?\n\nPlease provide these answers in unclassified format no later than May 26, 2023. We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.\n\nSincerely,\n\nJosh Hawley Elise M. Stefanik\n\nUnited States Senator Member of Congress\n\nCC:\n\nChief of Staff of the Air Force\n\nDirector, Air National Guard", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:07:47Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-stefanik-push-answers-us-military-about-participation-tiktok-ad/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9668818674981594, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}