WASHINGTON (AP) – TikTok’s CEO plans to tell Congress that the video-sharing app is committed to user safety, data protection and security, and keeping the platform free from Chinese government influence.
Shou Zi Chew is due to answer questions from US lawmakers on Thursday about the social media platform’s influence on its youth user base and concerns about potential national security risks posed by the popular app, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs.
Chew sticks to a familiar script as he urges the authorities to ban TikTok altogether or sell the company to new owners.
TikTok’s efforts to ensure the security of its user data, which includes a $1.5 billion project to store information on Oracle servers in the US and allow external monitors to inspect its source code, are “above and beyond”. than any of its rivals are doing, according to prepared remarks released ahead of Chew’s appearance before the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“No other social media company or entertainment platform offers this level of reach and transparency like TikTok,” he added.
Chew pushed against fears that TikTok could become a tool of China’s ruling Communist Party because its parent company ByteDance is based in Beijing. He said ByteDance has developed into a privately held “global enterprise”, with 60% owned by large institutional investors, 20% owned by the Chinese entrepreneurs who founded it and the rest by employees.
“Let me state this very clearly: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chu said.
TikTok has come under fire in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned TikTok from devices used for official business over concerns it violates cyber security and data privacy. or may be used to advance pro-Beijing narratives. and misinformation.
The Associated Press
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