TikTok CEO to Appear Before US Congress, as Pressure Mounts on the Chinese-Owned App

With a potential US ban looming, TikTok is scrambling to reassure US regulators that it’s going to adjust to all necessities round transparency, and consumer knowledge protections, which is able to see TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testify earlier than the Home Power and Commerce Committee on March twenty third, in his first-ever look earlier than a Congressional committee.

As reported by Axios:

“Chew will be asked about TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices, the platforms’ impact on kids, and their relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.”

The latter being the principle sticking level. Proper now, TikTok is underneath extra strain than ever, amid ongoing fears round how the app may very well be utilized as a spying system by the Chinese Authorities, if the CCP have been to so select.

These fears stem from China’s strict cybersecurity regulations, which stipulate that any Chinese-owned firm must share inside knowledge, together with info on customers, on request from CCP officers. There’s no proof to recommend that the CCP has made any such request of TikTok at this stage, however a current case noticed officers from TikTok proprietor ByteDance use the app to spy on US journalists whom it suspected of assembly with ByteDance workers.

That’s additional elevated scrutiny of the app, whereas on the similar time, a rising variety of US state officers are banning TikTok on government-owned devices because of spying issues.

And the scenario may very well be set to get even worse for TikTok within the coming weeks.

Final week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley stated that he would quickly introduce a new bill calling for a full ban of TikTok nationwide. Hawley has the help of a number of influential senators in his push, which is able to as soon as once more ramp up strain on the app, and will certainly see it face expulsion from the US earlier than the yr is out.

Which might be a devastating blow for ByeDance. TikTok is massively common within the US, and presents huge income potential – whereas you can even think about that if the US bans the app, different western areas will a minimum of take into account following go well with.

Which all makes Shou Zi Chew’s upcoming look extra urgent, and it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how he responds to questions on TikTok’s processes and plans within the March twenty third look.

That might properly be the inflection level, the place we get a clearer indication of the app’s future within the US.

Until then, TikTok will proceed to push forward with its $1.5 billion US reformation plan, which incorporates storing US consumer knowledge on Oracle servers within the US.