Senate Intel. Chair Warner: TikTok Has a Very Different Algorithm in China Versus U.S., I Fear They’ll Only Show Things to Hurt U.S.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) stated that TikTok data is being accessed by Chinese engineers despite TikTok’s rhetoric about protecting data, but he’s almost more concerned about how TikTok manipulates its algorithm so children in China see content to make them better people as opposed to the algorithm in the U.S., and he is concerned “the folks who are driving the algorithms are going to say, we’re going to only show videos that may be derogatory towards the United States.”

Warner said, [relevant remarks begin around 6:40] “No matter what TikTok says about having an iron wall between the two, we’ve seen a number of reports that that data is still being accessed by Chinese engineers. But what almost concerns me more is the fact is TikTok really is a communications medium, not unlike your network or some of the other networks. And the difference between what Chinese kids see on TikTok, which emphasizes science and engineering, making them better, versus what our kids see, and I’m concerned, at some point, the folks who are driving the algorithms are going to say, we’re going to only show videos that may be derogatory towards the United States.”

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