USHBC blasts TikTok for skipping congressional roundtable

The United States Hispanic Business Council is pressing TikTok to answer questions about its algorithm, American user data and ties to ByteDance after the company отказed to attend a Sept. 15 congressional roundtable. The dispute adds pressure on lawmakers weighing how to police CCP-linked technology and protect U.S. consumers and small businesses.

Why it matters: - The United States Hispanic Business Council says TikTok should not be trusted to safeguard the data of more than 200 million Americans without public scrutiny. - The fight adds to pressure on Congress to scrutinize Chinese-linked platforms and the safeguards around U.S. consumer data. - USHBC says the issue also matters for small businesses that rely on TikTok to reach customers and compete online.

What happened: - USHBC condemned TikTok’s refusal to attend a congressional roundtable scheduled for Sept. 15. - The roundtable was set to be hosted by a congressional committee focused on strategic competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party. - The discussion was expected to center on TikTok’s algorithm and protection of Americans’ data. - Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said TikTok cited unrelated child-safety litigation as the reason for withdrawing. - Moolenaar said the committee wanted to examine CCP influence over TikTok’s algorithm and access to Americans’ consumer data.

The details: - USHBC President and CEO Javier Palomarez said the group had defended TikTok for more than a year because American small businesses depended on the platform. - Palomarez said USHBC supported a deal that would keep TikTok available in the U.S. while adding American ownership, oversight and data protections. - Palomarez said that support was not unconditional and depended on TikTok earning public trust. - Palomarez said TikTok spent months negotiating participation in the roundtable and agreed to send its chief security officer before backing out. - Palomarez said ByteDance still holds a 20% stake in TikTok. - Palomarez called on Congress, especially Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, to use oversight powers to hold TikTok accountable. - Palomarez pointed to Moreno’s bipartisan Connected Vehicle Security Act as a model for dealing with CCP-linked technologies that could threaten economic and national security. - USHBC said it has also raised concerns in the past about illicit Chinese vapes and connected vehicle technologies from China. - The organization said any company seeking access to American consumers must accept transparency and accountability. - The post included links to USHBC's membership page and the group’s social accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

Between the lines: - USHBC is shifting from conditional support for TikTok to open skepticism over the company’s willingness to answer congressional questions. - The criticism frames TikTok’s refusal to attend as a credibility problem, not just a scheduling dispute. - The focus on ByteDance’s remaining stake suggests lawmakers and business groups still see unresolved China-related governance risks in TikTok’s U.S. structure.

What's next: - USHBC wants Congress to keep pressing TikTok on how it stores and secures American user data. - Lawmakers may use the dispute to intensify oversight of TikTok and other CCP-linked technologies. - TikTok now faces pressure to explain its safeguards publicly if it wants to maintain support from business allies and policymakers.

The bottom line: - USHBC says TikTok cannot keep U.S. market access and avoid tough questions at the same time.