WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressing concern about the role TikTok will play in the first ever U.S. Cyber Games, an initiative receiving funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The U.S. Cyber Games represent an important initiative led by the private sector to promote cybersecurity careers, build a diverse and skilled cybersecurity workforce, and help to drive research on effective practices for cybersecurity workforce development.  

“Allowing TikTok to play any role in the first U.S. Cyber Games, including joining its board alongside U.S. federal officials, is unacceptable. TikTok should be given no opportunity to interfere in any of the nation’s cyber initiatives, let alone those carried out with financial support from American taxpayers,” Wicker wrote.

TikTok is a founding sponsor of the Games and will serve on its Advisory Board alongside personnel from U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken an ownership stake in a key subsidiary of the parent company of TikTok. Given China’s relentless efforts to undermine America’s cybersecurity, it raises grave concerns that a company with ties to the CCP would play any role in helping to build the next generation of U.S. cyber professionals. In addition to its CCP ties, a recent Wall Street Journal investigation raised serious questions about how TikTok’s technology can expose minors to harmful content.     

Click here to read the full letter below.

Dear Secretary Raimondo:

I am concerned to learn about the involvement of TikTok in the inaugural U.S. Cyber Games, an initiative led by a private company in cooperation with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) program at NIST. The U.S. Cyber Games represent an important initiative led by the private sector to promote cybersecurity careers, build a diverse and skilled cybersecurity workforce, and help to drive research on effective practices for cybersecurity workforce development.  

This August, TikTok announced that it would be the founding sponsor of the games and that its Chief Security Officer would be joining the U.S. Cyber Games Advisory Board alongside members from NIST, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and other U.S. leaders in cybersecurity.

In April of this year, the CCP took an ownership stake and one of three board seats in Beijing-headquartered ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. We should not underestimate the dangerous influence or potential involvement the CCP has in the company. The CCP has repeatedly demonstrated its desire to exploit vulnerabilities in cyberspace and compromise America’s economic and national security. As one example, the Department of Justice recently indicted four Chinese nationals and residents who conspired with Chinese state security to hack into and steal data from U.S. companies, universities, and government entities.  

Allowing TikTok to play any role in the first U.S. Cyber Games, including joining its board alongside U.S. federal officials, is unacceptable. TikTok should be given no opportunity to interfere in any of the nation’s cyber initiatives, let alone those carried out with financial support from American taxpayers. Even though NIST is named as a “Founding Partner” of the games, it is my understanding that the private company leading the games is the entity responsible for involving TikTok. However, I would have expected NIST to exercise greater judgment and oversight over its awardees concerning which entities they pursue and with whom they form direct relationships.

I urge you to take action toward ensuring that NIST and its partners are fully aligned and held accountable in keeping our nation secure. 

I appreciate your attention to this critical matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,