House committee votes to release TikTok hearing transcript to help Justice Department

A U.S. House of Representatives committee voted Thursday to release a transcript from a secret hearing held in March on national security threats posed by TikTok, a move aimed at helping the Justice Department defend a law that requires the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. assets.

The disputed law could potentially ban TikTok in the United States if ByteDance does not comply with it by January 19. ByteDance, TikTok and a group of TikTok creators have filed lawsuits seeking to block the law, arguing that it is unjustified and harmful to the 170 million Americans who use the app.

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Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said the Justice Department requested the transcript “to assist in their legal proceedings.” The closed hearing, held in March, focused on the perceived threats TikTok poses to U.S. national security and user privacy.

The decision to release the transcript comes amid heightened scrutiny of TikTok and its data practices, with concerns that the app could be used by the Chinese government for espionage or influence operations. The release of the transcript is expected to shed more light on the discussions and evidence presented during the hearing, providing crucial context for the ongoing legal proceedings.