TikTok CEO Shu Zi Chu faced bipartisan criticism Thursday when he appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to raise lawmakers' concerns about the video-sharing app, which has 150 million active users in the United States. The committee was particularly concerned about ByteDance's China-based parent company and its alleged ties to the Chinese government.
“We don’t believe TikTok will ever embrace American values of freedom, human rights and innovation,” said committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican. said in her opening remarks. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path of more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. Your platform should be banned.”
currently there is three bills in Congress, it could impact Americans' access to TikTok; two of them would ban the platform entirely, while the other would give the government the power to ban any technology deemed a threat to national security. Biden Administration as reported demanded that ByteDance sell TikTok, threatening a complete ban on the application if the Chinese company does not comply with the requirements. On Thursday, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce said that the government will oppose forced sales.
During the five-hour hearing, Singapore-born Chu, 40, stressed that there was never any evidence that the Chinese government had access to TikTok user data. He said that countries what was banned the app on government devices did so based on “hypothetical and theoretical risks.” Last month both USA and Canada issued an order banning the use of TikTok on government mobile devices.
“Let me state unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chu said in his written statement.
But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed doubts about the claim, with many committee members jokingly thanking the TikTok CEO for inspiring bipartisanship. “You brought Republicans and Democrats together, and at least for one day we are actually united because we have serious concerns.” said Rep. August Pflueger, Republican from Texas.
Chu's response to a question about data privacy was as follows: Project TexasThe platform's ongoing operation to move information about American users to servers in the United States. TikTok's CEO said no employees in China will have access to US user data after the project is completed, but committee members questioned whether this internal firewall would solve their security concerns.
“What you're saying about Project Texas just doesn't pass the smell test.” said Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat. “My constituents are concerned about TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party controlling their data and seeing our own vulnerabilities. … What you’re doing in Texas is good, but it’s not enough to make sure our privacy isn’t at risk.”
Exclusive on BuzzFeed News reported Last year, ByteDance employees in China accessed private data from TikTok users in the US on multiple occasions between September 2021 and January 2022. statement that an internal investigation found that the personal data of TikTok users of the BuzzFeed News reporter who broke the story, as well as several other journalists covering TikTok, were obtained without permission by ByteDance employees, who were then fired.
Asked by Rep. Neil Dunn, a Florida Republican, during a hearing whether ByteDance had ever spied on American citizens, Chu replied“I don't think 'espionage' is the right way to describe it.”
