TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testimony updates: Company hopes to stave off possible ban
Lawmakers press TikTok CEO over data security, misinformation and other issues.
A high-stakes standoff between the U.S. government and social media app TikTok over a potential ban had its reckoning on Thursday when TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before a committee of House lawmakers.
The China-based app, which counts more than 150 million U.S. users each month, has faced growing scrutiny from government officials over fears that user data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government and the app could be weaponized by China to spread misinformation.
There is no evidence that TikTok has shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government, but policymakers fear that the Chinese government could compel the company to do so.
Latest headlines:
- Texas representative calls on TikTok to remove his state from name of data privacy project
- Who is TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew?
- During hearing, TikTok takes down video threatening committee chair
- Heated questions over internal memo calling on TikTok employees to ‘downplay’ China ties
- Chew grilled over China’s reported opposition to sale of TikTok
- House member on TikTok’s misinformation plan: ‘That’s not enough for me’
- Chew faces repeated questions over TikTok’s China ties
- TikTok CEO addresses lawmaker concerns over data safety and manipulation
Hearing opens with bipartisan criticism of TikTok
Opening remarks at the House hearing echoed bipartisan criticism of TikTok that has grown on Capitol Hill in recent weeks.
“TikTok surveils us all,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA, chair of the committee.
After McMorris Rodgers finished her comments, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ, the senior Democratic member, said: “I agree with much of what you said.”
“While TikTok videos provide a new fun way for people to express their creativity and enjoy the videos of others, the platform also threatens the health, privacy and security of the American people,” Pallone added. “I'm not convinced that the benefits outweigh the threats it poses to Americans in its current form.”
TikTok gains Capitol Hill allies ahead of CEO testimony
TikTok got a show of support on Wednesday before the company's CEO addressed lawmakers.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-NY, and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-WI, appeared at a press conference on Wednesday alongside TikTok influencers who held up “Keep TikTok” signs.
“Instead of banning TikTok we need comprehensive legislation to ensure social media users' data is safe and secure,” Bowman said on Twitter on Wednesday.
“Banning TikTok won't solve that problem and I was proud to stand with some of the most incredible creators today,” he added.
TikTok CEO will likely face opposition from lawmakers
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will likely encounter sharp criticism from some members of the Republican-led House committee, which oversees energy and commerce.
A number of Republican members of Congress have backed a ban of the app.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, a separate body, voted earlier this month to approve a bill that would give Biden the authority to ban TikTok.
The Biden administration this month endorsed a different bipartisan bill, which does not specifically target TikTok but empowers the federal government to ban electronics or software with foreign ties, such as TikTok.
Stiffening its stance further, the Biden administration last week demanded that TikTok's owner, ByteDance, sell its stake in the app or risk getting banned, the company and a U.S. official previously told ABC News.
TikTok CEO expected to directly confront possible ban
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will address a potential ban, outlining how such a measure would ultimately harm the U.S. economy, according to his prepared remarks posted on the House committee's website.
TikTok hosts accounts for 5,000 U.S.-based businesses and employs 7,000 workers across the country, Chew said in a video posted on Tuesday.
"We do not believe that a ban that hurts American small businesses, damages the country's economy, silences the voices of over 150 million Americans, and reduces competition in an increasingly concentrated market is the solution to a solvable problem," the prepared remarks say.
Chew plans to tout Project Texas, an ongoing effort that he says keeps all data on U.S. users within the country through a partnership with Austin, Texas-based cloud computing company Oracle.
"Bans are only appropriate when there are no alternatives. But we do have an alternative," Chew will say.
Who is TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew?
Despite the booming popularity of TikTok, Chew is relatively unknown compared to rival executives like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg or Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
Chew, 40, interned at Facebook and graduated from University College of London as well as Harvard Business School on his way to becoming TikTok CEO in 2021.
"I am responsible for all the strategic decisions at TikTok," Chew told The New York Times in November.
He currently lives with his wife and two children in Singapore, where he was born and raised.