TikTok CEO defense of China-linked app doesn’t persuade lawmakers: ‘Your platform should be banned’

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s defense against allegations that Americans’ data is vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party faced deep bipartisan skepticism at a House hearing Thursday, as questions over the security risk posed by the China-founded app mount in Congress.

Congressional proposals empowering the federal government to ban TikTok in the U.S. are gaining momentum, and Mr. Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to try to persuade policymakers to go in another direction. 

Mr. Chew told lawmakers he knew of no cases when the Chinese government ever accessed data on the wildly popular video-sharing  app, that his company was headquartered in California, not China, and that TikTok was more transparent than comparable U.S. social media companies.