A video advertisement released by TikTok featuring an Air National Guardsman has drawn concerns among two Republican lawmakers, who say it appears to be a “de facto” endorsement of the U.S. military of the Chinese-owned video app amid heightened security concerns.
“Chinese intelligence and security services use TikTok to surveil, exploit, and manipulate the American people,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote in a letter (pdf) addressed to Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
The lawmakers expressed concern over the participation of Jon Lynch, an Air National Guard member based in New Hampshire, in the TikTok ad released last month….