Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO, is set to testify before Congress in the face of increasing pressure from the US government. The hearing will take place at the White House Energy and Commerce Committee, Thursday 23 March at 10 AM ET.
TikTok is currently at risk of being banned in the US if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stake.
Concerns over TikTok sharing user data with China are not new. The Biden administration has increased pressure on the video-sharing platform in recent years.
Chew has already made his opening statements prior to the hearing in which he assured that the company will continue to work towards preventing “unauthorized foreign access” of American user data. He said that TikTok will improve its privacy and security practices, and protect the safety of minors.
Audio clips of TikTok’s internal meetings leaked last year revealed that employees in China could potentially have access to data from US users. Chew stressed that TikTok never shared American user data to the Chinese government and will never do so.
I am aware of the concerns that arise from the incorrect belief that TikTok’s corporate structure means it is dependent on the Chinese government, or that it shares information regarding U.S. users to the Chinese government.Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO
Chew stated that the company would not comply with requests from the Chinese government for US user data.
Chew is likely to face harsh questions and criticisms over TikTok
The Congress will not be easy on TikTok, given the strong stance of the Biden government against TikTok as well as the widespread concerns about user data privacy. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers will likely ask tough questions to Chew. The title of the hearing, “TikTok” – “How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy & Protect Children from Online Harms” – reveals the overall sentiment of Congress regarding TikTok.
The fate of TikTok in the US will depend on how Chew performs at the hearing. The CEO will not only have to testify about concerns about Chinese influence on the platform but also face criticism for a range of other issues.
Security concerns will remain a top priority. However, the impact of TikTok’s Chinese ownership on youth mental health will be raised.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership has already announced its intent to grill TikTok about the latter’s protections for minors on the platform. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Chair of the Committee, accused Big Tech companies like TikTok using harmful algorithms to exploit children for profit. He said that minors are thus exposed to harmful content online.
“Chew assured that ByteDance does not represent China or any other country.
There is no evidence that China has collected US user data via TikTok, or used algorithms to influence the political behavior of users. ByteDance’s internal investigation revealed that Beijing headquarters employees had collected data on a few American users.
Several Federal agencies launched investigations against the company following the report. They wanted to investigate security and privacy concerns. Although the future of TikTok USA remains uncertain, these are undoubtedly difficult times for the company.