Sen. Ted Cruz sparred with Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s Vice President, head of public policy for the Americas over whether the video-sharing platform’s fine print gives the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ data. Sen. Cruz repeatedly peppered Mr. Beckerman with questions about whether the vague language in TikTok’s privacy policy enabled its China-based owner ByteDance and its affiliates to have access to information from people using TikTok’s platform. Mr. Beckerman refused to answer with a yes or no response and instead sought to talk about how TikTok uses data

Beckerman refused to answer Cruz’s repeated questions about whether Beijing ByteDance Technology, the board of which now includes a former member of China’s Communist Party, is also considered to be a part of TikTok’s “corporate group” that can access user data. “That entity has no affiliation with TikTok…” Beckerman said. But he did not clarify if the sister company, Beijing ByteDance Technology, is considered a part of the company’s “corporate group” and allowed to access user data. “You’re refusing to answer the question, that does not give this committee any confidence that TikTok is doing anything other than participating in Chinese propaganda and espionage on American children,” Mr. Cruz said. “Senator, that’s not accurate,” interjected Mr. Beckerman.

“If it were not accurate you would answer the questions,” interrupted Mr. Cruz. “And you have dodged the questions more than any witness I have seen in my nine years serving in the Senate. That is saying something because witnesses often try to dodge questions but you answer in nonsequiturs and refuse to answer very simple questions that, in my experience, when a witness does that it is because they are hiding something.”

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“dodged questions more than any witness,” Ted Cruz sparred with TikTok’s Michael Beckerman, 10/25/21