The widely popular social media app TikTok has hired its own consulting firm, SKDK, as it comes under new scrutiny from lawmakers worried it is a security threat, according to a report in Politico.
SKDK was hired to provide its support to TikTok as lawmakers push bipartisan legislation that could ban or restrict the app.
The firm’s ties to the Biden administration are notable. Anita Dunn, one of the firm’s founders, is a senior adviser to President Biden. Several other officials in the administration have ties to SKDK.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. Lawmakers and other officials around the country have expressed concern that the Chinese government could use TikTok to garner information about American citizens.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee this week that he considers TikTok to be a security threat.
Asked by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) if the U.S. should refrain from banning the app because it is popular among users under the age of 35 despite the concerns raised by lawmakers, Wray said, “Not from my perspective.”
TikTok’s hiring of the firm came in the last few months, Politico reported.
The legislation in the Senate would give the federal government the ability to restrict access to any technology from China and other nations.