TikTok CEO Spars With Congress Amid Growing Calls For Ban—As Lawmaker Calls Privacy Claims ‘Preposterous’

Topline

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced intense questioning from lawmakers in his first hearing before Congress Tuesday morning, defending the popular social media app and insisting it protects U.S. user data from foreign interference, though House members from both sides of the aisle remained skeptical of TikTok’s plans as the Chinese-owned platform fights against a possible U.S. ban or forced sale.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress Thursday morning.

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Key Facts

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)—chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee—asked about spying and surveillance on U.S. users by TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, but Chew said he “disagrees with the characterization” that the social media platform is spying on American users and said TikTok is “committed” to protecting U.S. data from foreign access.

Chew claimed in his testimony that he has “seen no evidence” of Chinese government officials accessing U.S. user data, a claim that Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) called “actually preposterous.”

Chew, who has been at the head of the company since 2021, argued that over the past two years, the company has been building what he called a “firewall that seals up protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access.”

Speaking to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chew attempted to assuage fears from lawmakers’ on both sides of the aisle, pointing to an initiative called “Project Texas,” in which Chew said U.S. data will be stored in Texas-based servers owned by tech company Oracle.

But Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called that plan “simply not acceptable,” saying he believes the “Beijing Communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do.”

Chew told members of Congress TikTok has plans to report to an independent U.S. board with “strong security credentials,” adding that some legacy data is currently stored in Virginia and Singapore—though he said he expects the company to delete Singapore-based data this year.

Some lawmakers criticized TikTok’s content moderation: In a tense back-and-forth, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) played a TikTok video that showed an animated firing gun and named Rodgers, and argued, “You damn well know that you cannot protect the data and security of this committee or the 150 million users of your app.”

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) also called out “harmful” content on the app, including dangerous video challenges and suicide-related content, saying, “your technology is literally leading to death.”

Crucial Quote

“Tiktok is a weapon used by the Chinese Communist party to spy on you, manipulate what you see and exploit for future generations,” Rodgers said. “A ban is only a short-term way to address TikTok. the data privacy bill is the only way to stop TikTok from ever happening again in the U.S.”

Key Background

TikTok has come under intense scrutiny by U.S. lawmakers for several years, including by former President Donald Trump, who attempted to ban the app in 2020 over national security concerns, though President Joe Biden revoked Trump’s order a year later. This year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would give U.S. officials the power to ban certain foreign-owned technology, and the Biden Administration has reportedly threatened to ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell the app. Concerns around the app resurfaced last year, following reports that the app can track user data, spied on Forbes journalists and that ByteDance had plans to monitor Americans’ locations through the app. Congress passed a bill to ban TikTok on federal devices. ByteDance is under investigation by the Department of Justice for surveilling American journalists. In a prepared statement before Thursday’s hearing, Chew wrote TikTok is committed to transparency as well as the safety and wellness of teens on the app, which Chew called a “core priority.” Chew also told lawmakers the company’s approach has “never been to dismiss or trivialize any of those concerns,” and argued worries about national security are not “unique to TikTok.”

Big Number

150 million. That’s how many Americans have TikTok accounts, of the more than 1 billion active users around the world, according to Chew. The vast majority of those users are people over 18

Contra

Despite the criticisms of TikTok, a group of Democratic congressmen, as well as Gen Z users of the app, have expressed support. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) denounced efforts to ban the app as “fear mongering” in a video posted on TikTok, calling the push to ban the app an example of “xenophobia around China.” Officials have also warned banning the app could spark a backlash from Gen Z users. Some 41% of Americans support banning TikTok, compared to 25% who oppose it, but the majority of TikTok users are opposed to a ban, and some 59% of Americans ages 18 to 34 use the app, according to a poll conducted by the Washington Post.

Chief Critic

Chinese officials also slammed the potential forced sale of TikTok, which may require Beijing’s approval, in a statement released Thursday. That sale would “seriously damage” investor confidence in the U.S., Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting said.

Tangent

TikTok has also faced scrutiny in other countries. A spokesperson for the U.K. Parliament announced Thursday the app will be blocked on all parliamentary devices over national security concerns. TikTok is also banned on government devices in Belgium, Canada and New Zealand, while staff members of the European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission, are also prohibited from using TikTok on their phones.