Republican senators on Friday asked TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew about reports the social media site had allowed Russian state-approved media content but barred other videos.
"Recent reports indicate TikTok… has allowed Russian state media to flood the platform with dangerous pro-war propaganda. No company should find itself in the position of amplifying the Kremlin’s lies, which fuel public support for Russia’s war of choice in Ukraine," said the letter, led by Steve Daines and signed by John Cornyn, Roger Wicker, John Barrasso, James Lankford and Cynthia Lummis.
The senators wrote they were "deeply concerned" that TikTok "is enabling the spread of pro-war propaganda to the Russian public, which risks adding to an already devastating human toll for both Ukrainians and Russians."
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. TikTok said in a statement to Reuters that the company was looking forward to continuing to engage with members on these issues and answer their questions.
Reuters reported in March the Chinese-owned video app said it would suspend live-streaming and the uploading of videos to its platform in Russia as it reviewed the implications of a new media law signed by President Vladimir Putin.
The senators said TikTok has failed "to equally enforce this policy" and cited a news report that said it "appears TikTok belatedly closed this loophole on March 25."
The letter added the "misleading, pro-regime content that flooded the service has not been taken down, creating an easily-accessible archive of pro-war propaganda" and asked TikTok to answer a series of questions.
TikTok, owned by Beijing-based internet technology company ByteDance, has been under mounting U.S. scrutiny over the personal data it handles. At a U.S. congressional hearing last October, the company faced tough questions from U.S. lawmakers.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, the panel's top Republican, said she was concerned about TikTok's data collection, including audio and a user's location, and the potential for the Chinese government to gain access to the information. Blackburn questioned TikTok on whether the company could resist giving data to China's government if material were to be demanded.
TikTok is one of the world's most popular social media apps, with more than 1 billion active users globally.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Echo Wang; Editing by David Gregorio)
A trifecta of storm systems is impacting Canada this week. A 'bomb' cyclone is bringing severe wind to coastal B.C, while a Texas low has triggered snow and winter storm warnings in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. On the east coast, a stalled area of low pressure has put Atlantic Canada into several days of cloudy, damp, and windy weather.
One of the runways at Vancouver International Airport will be closed for two days after a jet carrying Amazon packages overran it Tuesday morning.
A 40-year-old woman is facing charges in the death of a toddler who was found without vital signs in a Niagara Falls, Ont., home last year. Niagara regional police say officers found the two-year-old child after they were called to a home on Nov. 21, 2023.
Canada's annual inflation rate accelerated more than expected to 2.0 per cent in October as gas prices fell less than the previous month, data showed on Tuesday, likely diluting chances of another large rate cut in December.
Quebec provincial police have arrested two suspects in the death of 24-year-old cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Two women testified to the House Ethics Committee that they were paid for "sexual favours" by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, a lawyer for the two women told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday.
Cruise ship passengers got a scare when their vessel tilted sideways, with one man saying the theme song for the film 'Titanic' had played during the ordeal.
When the Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, there will be a notable absence on the ice.
Donald Trump headed to Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday to watch one of Elon Musk ’s companies test its Starship rocket, the latest sign if a deepening bond between the president-elect and the world's richest man.
A trifecta of storm systems is impacting Canada this week. A 'bomb' cyclone is bringing severe wind to coastal B.C, while a Texas low has triggered snow and winter storm warnings in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. On the east coast, a stalled area of low pressure has put Atlantic Canada into several days of cloudy, damp, and windy weather.
Environment Canada is warning those living on the B.C. coast to be prepared for incoming wild weather.
One of the runways at Vancouver International Airport will be closed for two days after a jet carrying Amazon packages overran it Tuesday morning.
Quebec provincial police have arrested two suspects in the death of 24-year-old cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
One in five immigrants who come to Canada ultimately leave for another country within 25 years, with about one-third of those people moving on within the first five years.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered the seizure of two Montreal-area residences belonging to billionaire Robert Miller, at the request of four women who have filed civil lawsuits alleging he sexually abused them as minors.
The four-year-old document has a bland, bureaucratic title — 'Basic Principles of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence' — but its contents are chilling, especially with its newest revisions.
President-elect Donald Trump chose Howard Lutnick as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs.
Nearly 100 trucks carrying food for Palestinians were violently looted on Nov. 16 after entering Gaza in one of the worst aid losses during 13 months of war in the enclave, where hunger is deepening, two UN agencies told Reuters on Monday.
The Manhattan district attorney said Tuesday it would agree to postpone Donald Trump's sentencing to give them time to litigate the president-elect's expected motion to dismiss the hush money case.
Donald Trump headed to Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday to watch one of Elon Musk ’s companies test its Starship rocket, the latest sign if a deepening bond between the president-elect and the world's richest man.
Brazilian police arrest 5 officers over coup plot to overthrow government and kill President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The federal government is asking Parliament for approval to spend billions of dollars, but the ongoing stalemate in the House of Commons could prevent the Liberals from getting the green light.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the final leaders' statement from the G20 summit in Brazil is not strong enough on the war in Ukraine.
Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa on Monday after a weeklong break with no sign of a resolution to the House stalemate, tempers ramped back up, and renewed calls for a Liberal cabinet minister to resign — or be fired.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has posted a recall for both baby and whole organic carrot brands sold at multiple grocery stores due to E. coli contamination.
Ontario is proposing a pilot project to tweak long-term care priority rules in order to address a problem of declining and mismatched admissions to the province's cultural homes.
A group of physicians are setting up unofficial overdose prevention sites outside two Vancouver Island hospitals Monday, aiming to help people struggling with addiction – while also sending a message to the government.
Hector Xu founded Rotor Technologies in 2021 and developed unmanned helicopters. Rotor has built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year.
Six monkeys were still on the loose early Monday after dozens escaped earlier this month from a South Carolina compound that breeds the primates for medical research, according to authorities.
Strategies for mitigating the negative mental health effects of social media tend to focus on reducing time spent scrolling, according to a B.C. researcher, who says there may be a way to limit the harm without logging off.
An anonymous male celebrity says he is the victim of an extortion scheme and is suing a high-powered Texas attorney who is representing several people in civil lawsuits that accuse Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault.
Though Cher and Sonny Bono’s marriage lasted less than a decade, their musical hits endured. Yet Cher details in her new memoir that the success of her creative partnership with her late husband wasn’t equally shared.
The leader of a New York City church where pop star Sabrina Carpenter filmed provocative scenes for a music video was stripped of his duties Monday after church officials said an investigation revealed other instances of mismanagement.
It's been a little over two months since corner stores around the province began stocking booze on their shelves and the chair of the Ontario Convenience Store Association says the new alcoholic offerings have been a lifeline for many businesses in the province.
Canada's annual inflation rate accelerated more than expected to 2.0 per cent in October as gas prices fell less than the previous month, data showed on Tuesday, likely diluting chances of another large rate cut in December.
Walmart's business is surging. Customers making more than US$100,000 a year are fuelling the growth.
CTVNews.ca wants to hear from digital nomads who have taken up location-independent jobs and can work from anywhere with an internet connection.
Delta Air Lines’ newest dining option for first class passengers isn’t anything fancy. In fact, it’s the exact opposite, because it’s fast food.
Buying life insurance in your 20s can feel like an added cost to an already long list of expenses. But experts say it can safeguard loved ones if life doesn't go as planned.
When the Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, there will be a notable absence on the ice.
The Toronto Argonauts celebrated their latest Grey Cup win with an energetic, occasionally messy fan rally on Tuesday.
Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him enjoy tennis "even more" during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.
An insurance crime and fraud prevention group says the Toyota Highlander was the most stolen vehicle in 2023, dethroning the Honda CR-V as the nation's top stolen car for two years in a row.
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
Toronto radio and podcast host Jax Irwin has recently gone viral for videos of her cute -- and at times confusing -- phone conversations.
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.
Stretching 3,000 kilometres from the tip of New Zealand to its southernmost point, with just a bicycle for transport and a tent to call home, bikepacking event Tour Aotearoa is not for the faint of heart.
When he first moved to his urban neighbourhood, Barry Devonald was surprised to be welcomed by a whole flock of new neighbours.
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
Some Calgary residents caught what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky early on Wednesday morning.
Four years ago, Phill Hebb started up 'Phil’s Unique Birdhouses' and since then, they’ve made their way all across Canada and into the United States.
A New Brunswick fashion designer recently won the top prize at a national event for a dress she made using an unconventional material.
Police are looking for witnesses to a crash in Vaughan on Monday that critically injured one person.
When the Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, there will be a notable absence on the ice.
One of the runways at Vancouver International Airport will be closed for two days after a jet carrying Amazon packages overran it Tuesday morning.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with armed home invasions in Mississauga, Toronto, and Brampton, including one incident where one person was shot and seriously injured.
Two people were ejected from the observation gallery of the provincial legislature at Queen’s Park Tuesday following a heated demonstration over the closure of supervised consumption sites by the Ford government.
The Lexus RX has topped this year’s list of the most stolen vehicles in Ontario as the auto theft crisis continues to worsen across the province and country.
Almost a dozen Calgary eateries are featured on a new list of the Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2024.
Police are hoping to identify a man believed to have robbed several cannabis stores in Calgary and Edmonton while using a gun and disguises.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has issued an order requiring Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. to suspend its wells, facilities and pipelines, saying the company hasn't met its regulatory obligations.
The federal government is making a piece of land available for future housing in Ottawa's west end, on land around the historic building that houses a Keg Restaurant.
The Ottawa Police Service says four people are facing charges after people participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in downtown Ottawa "ignored directions from police and blocked a street."
A cozy dining spot in Ottawa's Little Italy has cracked OpenTable's top 100 restaurants in Canada for 2024.
A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered the seizure of two Montreal-area residences belonging to billionaire Robert Miller, at the request of four women who have filed civil lawsuits alleging he sexually abused them as minors.
Quebec provincial police have arrested two suspects in the death of 24-year-old cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Just over two months after announcing his retirement from political life, former CAQ minister Pierre Fitzgibbon is joining the business law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt as 'special counsel.'
A teenager is dead after a crash between two trucks on Highway 2 west of Athabasca Monday evening.
Thirteen break-ins in east and southeast St. Albert in the last month have prompted local Mounties to issue a warning.
Canada's annual inflation rate accelerated more than expected to 2.0 per cent in October as gas prices fell less than the previous month, data showed on Tuesday, likely diluting chances of another large rate cut in December.
Police in Cape Breton are now treating the disappearance of Kenneth “Justin” MacDonald as a homicide.
Halifax Regional Police say the driver of a transit bus that struck and killed a pedestrian in the city last month won’t be charged.
A trifecta of storm systems is impacting Canada this week. A 'bomb' cyclone is bringing severe wind to coastal B.C, while a Texas low has triggered snow and winter storm warnings in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. On the east coast, a stalled area of low pressure has put Atlantic Canada into several days of cloudy, damp, and windy weather.
An incident involving reports of a man armed with a knife at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus has been resolved according to Winnipeg police.
Witnesses have testified about brutal cold along the border between Manitoba and Minnesota, where a family from India froze to death in early 2022 while trying to walk into the United States.
A new ER wait times strategy, more surgeons in Selkirk, and a plan to ban restrictive practices that stifle competition for grocery stores were among the promises laid out in the NDP government’s throne speech.
All highways out of Regina and Saskatoon are reporting various winter conditions Tuesday, as a winter storm makes its way through eastern and central parts of Saskatchewan.
The two re-elected councillors making their return to Henry Baker Hall hope their previous experience can help guide a group which has nine new members.
Everyone must contend with airport security measures before stepping foot on a plane – but even Mother Nature has to steer clear when it comes to busy runways. YQR in Regina is no exception.
Two Cambridge men have been charged as part of an ongoing fraud investigation that began over the summer.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has posted a recall for both baby and whole organic carrot brands sold at multiple grocery stores due to E. coli contamination.
A 40-year-old woman is facing charges in the death of a toddler who was found without vital signs in a Niagara Falls, Ont., home last year. Niagara regional police say officers found the two-year-old child after they were called to a home on Nov. 21, 2023.
Saskatoon residents woke to find the city under a blanket of snow on Tuesday, with around 10 centimetres falling overnight and more on the way.
Saskatoon police are investigating a second homicide that occurred over the weekend.
A British Columbia man faces trafficking charges after police seized around 50 kilograms of cocaine from his vehicle in a traffic stop on Thursday.
People living on Morris Street east of Van Horne and all streets leading off Morris in Greater Sudbury are under a drinking water advisory, the health unit said Tuesday.
Mike Ross of Capreol in Greater Sudbury matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order in the June 15 in the Lotto 6/49 draw to win $1 million.
The smell of pot from a vehicle during a RIDE check in Espanola led police to find $41,200 in cannabis, along with 140 gummies and 50 vape pens.
Work on the BRT traffic lights will result in some overnight lane closures in London.
Lambton OPP officers are releasing more details about a boating fatality that resulted in the death of two individuals.
For the second time, a London man has been charged after the discovery of hate-related graffiti and property damage at a local school. Around 7 a.m. on Monday, police were notified of the damage at Emily Carr Public School on Hawthorne Road.
Barrie police are on the scene of an ongoing investigation in the area of Bayfield Street and Heather Street.
Students and staff at a Caledon high school are in lockdown for a police investigation Tuesday afternoon.
Police in Barrie are investigating what they believe could be a hit-and-run after an individual was found in the city’s north end Tuesday morning with serious injuries.
Windsor police have arrested a 61-year-old man who was allegedly threatening people with knives at an east-end restaurant.
Iler Road is closed between County Road 50 and County Road 20 in Harrow due to a collision.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service is seeking the public’s help finding a missing woman.
Police are looking for witnesses to a crash in Vaughan on Monday that critically injured one person.
Environment Canada is warning those living on the B.C. coast to be prepared for incoming wild weather.
When the Vancouver Canucks face off against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, there will be a notable absence on the ice.
Police are appealing for information on a targeted shooting that resulted in the hospitalization of a man in Kamloops.
British Columbia's independent police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing in a crash where three people were killed south of Kamloops in July of last year.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
Alberta sheriffs have closed a problem property in Lethbridge, saying officers were frequently called to the home over complaints about drug activity.
Lethbridge’s largest charities are coming together once again to help give more people a merry Christmas. Both local food banks, the Salvation Army, Lethbridge Family Services and My City Care will provide toys and food to families in need this holiday season as part of the Christmas Hope campaign.
Tim Hortons is once again selling Holiday Smile Cookie, and this year money from Lethbridge locations is going, in part, to Green Shirt Day.
Taylor Swift kicked off her Eras Tour stops in Toronto last week and the frenzy for the pop star is expanding north with a tribute show and event later this month.
The repeat offender parole enforcement (ROPE) squad is asking for the public's help to find a federal offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant for breaching his statutory release.
A company hoping to build a massive wind-to-hydrogen project in western Newfoundland is eyeing other options as Canada's plans to supply Europe with green energy have not yet come to pass.
The four women sipping tea around an antique wooden table in rural Newfoundland said they weren't looking for much in a mate: kindness, humour, a good sense of fun and, ideally, a full set of teeth.
Newfoundland and Labrador's return on investment for sponsoring a professional English soccer team was not quite as rosy as previously claimed.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
