TikTok CEO Testifies Before House Committee, Denies CCP Connections
AllSides Summary
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, defending the popular app as federal efforts to ban the China-connected platform continue.
Details: Lawmakers pressed Chew with questions regarding the company’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party, expressing concerns over the data TikTok collects on American users that the CCP can potentially access. Chew pushed back on these claims, stating that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is a private company not beholden to the CCP. Chew discussed efforts currently underway by TikTok to store American data on American soil. Lawmakers also addressed concerns on the app’s potential negative impact on young Americans’ mental health. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill that would allow for TikTok to be federally banned. The White House endorsed the bill and is pressuring ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a potential ban in the United States.
Key Quotes: Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) stated that “ByteDance is beholden to the CCP, and ByteDance and TikTok are one and the same.” Chew denied the CCP can access American data, stating, “I have seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data, they have never asked us, we have not provided.”
How The Media Covered It: Outlets centered coverage around national security concerns, with the consensus across the spectrum being that lawmakers were not persuaded by Chew’s testimony.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
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...
From the Center
TikTok CEO says China-based ByteDance employees still have access to some U.S. data
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told U.S. lawmakers that China-based employees at its parent company ByteDance may still have access to some U.S. data from the app but added that won’t be the case once its risk mitigation plan, called Project Texas, is complete.
The exchange is significant because it gets at the crux of U.S. officials’ fears about TikTok’s ownership and also shows how tricky and time-consuming untangling the app from its Chinese parent company can be.
Lawmakers and intelligence officials fear that U.S. user data could get into...
From the Left
Lawmakers blast TikTok in hearing with CEO, citing "life and death" issues
TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew is defending the company from charges that it poses a national security threat at a the House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing Thursday.
Why it matters: The White House and TikTok's critics in Congress say the popular short-video app puts U.S. users' data at risk because TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.
Chew repeatedly categorized TikTok as a global enterprise when asked about whether it's a Chinese company.
What they're saying: TikTok should be banned, House Energy and Commerce committee chair Cathy...
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