A North Carolina Republican asks: Is TikTok stealing our Wifi???
It wouldn’t be a congressional tech hearing without politicians making it clear how little they understand about the internet. But of all the obvious misunderstandings, the dumbest came from Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican.
“Mr, Chew, does TikTok access the home wifi network?” Hudson asked.
Chew paused for a moment before answering. “Only if the user turns on the wifi,” he said. “I’m sorry, I may not understand the question.”
“So, if I have the TikTok app on my phone and my phone is on my home wifi network, does TikTok access that network?” Hudson said.
Visibly confused, Chew responded. “It would have to—to access the network to get connections to the internet, if that’s the question,” he said.
