US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Quiet on TikTok During China Visit

TikTok’s future in the United States remains fraught as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited China but reportedly did not discuss the Chinese-owned app and US fears about its influence while there.

The massively popular app is a point of tension between the two countries. Lawmakers and intelligence officials in the US worry that China could use TikTok to spy on Americans or influence the content they see.

Federal employees are currently banned from using TikTok on government devices, and New York has banned the app from municipal employees' devices, too. Montana, meanwhile, has an outright ban on TikTok in the state and other states are following suit.

Raimondo’s trip to China comes a year after TikTok submitted a plan to the Committee on Foreign Investment, also known as CFICUS, that sought to show the app is not a threat to the US. CFICUS has yet to make a judgement on TikTok’s plan.

The Messenger asked the Commerce Department on Wednesday whether Secretary Raimondo had discussed TikTok while in China, but did not immediately receive a response.

Raimondo is on the record saying that she doesn’t think passing a law to ban a single company is a solution to national security concerns. The Commerce Secretary told Bloomberg in March that she also thinks banning TikTok could hurt how young voters view politicians and threaten free speech.

“However much I hate TikTok — and I do, because I see the addiction in the bad s--- that it serves kids — you know, this is America,” Raimondo said at the time.