Newly released transcripts shed light on the classified briefings that led 79 U.S. senators to vote in favor of the TikTok sell-off bill. 

The documents made public as part of TikTok’s legal challenge against the legislation reveal key concerns from intelligence officials about the popular social media platform.

The briefing focused on three main areas: TikTok’s links to the Chinese government, its data collection practices, and potential Chinese foreign influence operations within the app. 

Intelligence officials characterized TikTok as a “latent threat to U.S. national security,” citing Beijing’s legal and economic leverage over ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company.

While much of the transcript remains redacted, it confirms that security experts presented evidence of TikTok tracking U.S. users’ views on sensitive issues. 

The platform allegedly shared this information with ByteDance, which is required to pass such data to the Chinese government upon request. Reports of TikTok censoring certain topics and perspectives were also mentioned.

The briefing addressed concerns about setting a precedent for policing other apps. 

Officials dismissed this notion, stating that TikTok’s case involves a unique convergence of factors, including a large user base and ownership by a foreign adversary. They assert that no other foreign-owned social app currently wields comparable influence in the U.S.

Despite the new disclosures, many specifics remain unclear due to extensive redactions in the released documents. This lack of transparency has contributed to waning public support for the bill, a point TikTok is leveraging in its opposition to what it views as an effective ban.

The legal consensus suggests that national security concerns typically outweigh other factors, potentially strengthening the government’s position in the ongoing challenge. However, the situation remains fluid, with presidential candidate Donald Trump promising to “save” the app if elected.