At Thursday’s hearing, TikTok’s CEO was asked if the app had spied on Americans at the request of Beijing (Photo: Getty Images North America)

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday’s lawmakers will push for legislation to address national security concerns over TikTok.

This comes after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified to a hostile House Committee on Thursday as lawmakers debated a ban on the popular video-sharing app.

“The House of Representatives will pass legislation to protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party,” McCarthy said on Twitter.

In the United States, calls are mounting to ban TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, or to pass bipartisan legislation to give President Joe Biden’s administration the legal authority to enact a ban.

At Thursday’s hearing, TikTok’s CEO was asked if the app had spied on Americans at the request of Beijing. Chew replied, “No.”

“It is deeply concerning that TikTok’s CEO cannot be honest and admit what we already know to be true: China has access to TikTok user data,” McCarthy, a Republican, said in his tweet.

Chew sought to reassure lawmakers that it is ramping up its data security efforts under the name “Project Texas,” which currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with a US company, Oracle, to store TikTok’s US user data. to beat.

Far from allaying legislators’ concerns, Chew’s appearance before Congress Thursday “actually increased the likelihood that Congress will take action,” Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the Wisconsin House Select Committee, told Sunday. the Communist Party of China to ABC News.

This month, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure TikTok is not installed on federal devices and systems.

More than 30 policies in the US, Canada, UK and the European Union have also banned TikTok from charging on government-owned devices.