TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will have a tough task persuading lawmakers to soften their stance to the app at a Thursday hearing.
could ban communications citing national security reasons, but the government “has to satisfy an extremely high threshold and cannot impose this type of total ban on a platform unless it is the only way to prevent extremely serious, overwhelming, and immediate harm to national security,” Gorski said. Republicans’ and Democrats’ willingness to offer legislation is a measure of the U.S. The administration, which is reportedly considering whether to force a sale of the U.S. The U.S., the U.K., Canada, the European Union and India have banned TikTok on government-issued devices. businesses,” and that calls by lawmakers to ban the app would mean “this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.” TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. [Michael McCaul](https://www.rollcall.com/members/19182?utm_source=memberLinks&utm_medium=memberlinks&personid=19182), R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has referred to TikTok as a "spy balloon" that has made its way to the phones of millions of Americans. Chew is the latest in a long line of tech company CEOs who have appeared before Congress to be grilled. [Mark Warner](https://www.rollcall.com/members/2693?utm_source=memberLinks&utm_medium=memberlinks&personid=2693), D-Va., introduced a bill that would authorize the Commerce Department to identify and block any technology from China or other adversary that poses a national security risk. “TikTok’s lack of transparency, repeated obfuscations, and misstatements of fact have severely undermined the credibility of any statements by TikTok employees, including Mr. He said the app was being targeted because of a "red scare around China." company because of fears that Beijing is using it to collect data on Americans and engaging in a subversive propaganda campaign. [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://www.rollcall.com/members/21425?utm_source=memberLinks&utm_medium=memberlinks&personid=21425), R-Wash., has said that TikTok “knowingly allowed” Beijing to access Americans’ data.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew plans to tell US lawmakers that the app's parent company, ByteDance, does not work for the Chinese government as he seeks to avert a US ...
Chew plans to describe the incident as a “misguided attempt to trace the source of a leak of confidential TikTok information.” TikTok informed the Energy and Commerce Committee about the spying “within moments of informing our employees,” Chew will add. His written testimony also outlines TikTok’s moves to keep users safe with content moderation, highlighting that the company spent $1 billion in 2021 on trust and safety and reflecting TikTok’s largest US labor expense. Chew will also condemn a recently disclosed incident in which ByteDance employees were fired for spying on certain US journalists. In his written remarks, which span nearly a dozen pages, Chew defends ByteDance’s corporate structure and outlines steps the company has taken, and plans to take, to resolve fears the Chinese government could gain access to TikTok user data through its potential influence over ByteDance. US officials have threatened to ban TikTok unless its Chinese owners divest their shares. USDS already has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and the company plans to hire more.
CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to tell a House panel that TikTok's parent company "is not an agent of China or any other country."
"Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?" and is "subject to the laws of the United States." ByteDance said in a statement that it "strongly condemned" the actions of those involved and they were no longer employed by the company. Jamaal Bowman of New York organized a press conference Wednesday with dozens of TikTok creators, including small business owners, educators and artists who say the app is vital to their livelihoods. A TikTok spokesperson said recently that "divestment doesn't solve the problem." Chew plans to tell the panel that ByteDance "is not an agent of China or any other country," and will say TikTok is building "what amounts to a firewall to seal off protected U.S. Mark Warner of Virginia said Congress needs to pass a bill that would give the executive branch tools to take action against tech companies with ties to U.S. "TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. officials counter that Chinese law requires the company, which is based in Beijing, to make the app's data available to the CCP. data and potential manipulation of the TikTok U.S. say that TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, could be forced to share user data with the CCP. officials and national security experts have warned that TikTok, which has 150 million American users, could be used to spy on Americans or as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government.
TikTok's ownership by a Chinese company, and the national security risk that could pose to the viral video app's users, have drawn most of the attention ...
As the Biden administration weighs banning TikTok in the US, its CEO is expected to tell lawmakers that it prioritises user safety and that surveillance ...
CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to tell Congress on Thursday that TikTok is safe and data won't be accessed by the Chinese government, as the U.S. considers a ban.
"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.” — that would give the Commerce Department the authority to restrict or ban technologies like TikTok that are produced in one of six adversarial countries, including China, and are found to pose a national security threat. He will discuss Project Texas, TikTok’s $1.5 billion program to address national security concerns and protect user data in the U.S. Chew will also tell lawmakers TikTok would “welcome a conversation” about legislation to enshrine industry standards for verifying the age of users. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and other lawmakers, and urge them not to ban the app in the U.S. There have even been calls to ban us or require divestment,” Chew will testify. And TikTok has contracted with Austin, Texas-based Oracle to store TikTok user data from American users. “My job here is to do what’s in the best of the country,” he said. Chew will note in his appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the average TikTok user is now well past college age. Data Security Inc., which employs nearly 1,500 full-time employees and oversees U.S. As tensions with Beijing have ramped up, TikTok has become a major target on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, a
Singapore army reservist and ex-Goldman banker says misconceptions about Chinese-owned app need to be clarified.
Many members have threatened to ban TikTok, saying its Chinese ownership poses a [national-security threat](https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-reassures-advertisers-over-ban-threat-as-some-set-backup-plans-8c67e7db?mod=article_inline). [30% off eBay coupon](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/ebay) His background might now help him connect with a
TikTok is ramping up a public relations campaign to fend off the possibility of a nationwide ban by the Biden administration.
He distanced TikTok from its Chinese roots and denied the “inaccurate” belief that TikTok's corporate structure makes it “beholden to the Chinese government." He said a TikTok ban would hurt the U.S. TikTok has come under fire in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned the app from devices used for official business. TikTok’s response to the political pressure can be seen all around the nation’s Capitol, with the company putting up ads in area airports and metro stations that include promises of securing users data and privacy and creating a safe platform for its young users. The company started deleting the historical protected data of U.S. “And just to be here and share my story is what TikTok has invited me to do.” “Nor would TikTok honor such a request if one were ever made.” But the company has also gotten support from at least three progressive lawmakers who say they oppose a ban on the platform. TikTok has been attempting to sell that proposal to the Biden administration, but skeptics have argued it doesn't go far enough. She said her popularity on TikTok has also allowed her to have other opportunities, like TV and commercial acting roles. data to domestic servers owned and maintained by the software giant Oracle. There's also concern Beijing might try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation through the platform.
An upcoming hearing with the CEO of TikTok before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce will review data privacy and risks posed by the platform.
Congress needs to give the administration the tools to review and mitigate the harms posed by foreign technology products that come from adversarial nations. [STEM Feed](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-stem-feed/482258/) – To improve the quality of educational content on TikTok, it will introduce a STEM feed for content focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. [educational content](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j0xzuh-6rY) to younger audiences over entertaining content. Chew’s willingness to answer questions before Congress, TikTok’s lack of transparency, repeated obfuscations, and misstatements of fact have severely undermined the credibility of any statements by TikTok employees, including Mr. [Updated Community Guidelines](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-ai-content-guidelines/482843/) – TikTok updated community guidelines and shared its Community Principles to demonstrate commitment to keeping the platform safe and inclusive for all users. I’m proud to say that 20 senators have already signed on to the RESTRICT Act, our bipartisan legislation that would do just that.” [News](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/news/) [Social Media](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/social/) [TikTok](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/social/tiktok/) [For You Feed Refresh](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-refresh-for-you-feed/482667/) – TikTok recommends content to users based on their engagement with content and creators. for helping build the TikTok community. [Series Monetization](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-series-monetization/481802/) – To encourage creators to create in-depth, informative content, TikTok introduced a new monetization program for Series content. [RESTRICT Act](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/is-tiktok-facing-a-us-ban/481798/) (Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology), which would create a formal process for the government to review and mitigate risks of technology originating in countries like China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. Unlike the content that appears when users search the #STEM hashtag, TikTok says that Common Sense Networks and Poynter will review STEM feed content to ensure it is safe for younger audiences and factually accurate.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will tell U.S. lawmakers Thursday that the company has never, and would never, share data from U.S. users with China or the Chinese ...
[TIKTOK CEO TO TELL CONGRESS THAT CHINESE OWNED APP NOW HAS 150M ACTIVE USERS IN THE UNITED STATES: REPORT](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/tiktok-ceo-tell-congress-chinese-owned-app-now-150m-active-users-united-states-report) [behind a bipartisan Senate bill](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/senates-bipartisan-restrict-act-block-tech-products-tiktok-made-adversarial-countries) that would give the Biden administration the authority to ban TikTok. [threat to national security](https://www.foxnews.com/tech/tikd-off-national-security-harmed-congress-uses-tiktok-americans-weigh) and a propaganda tool for the Chinese Communist Party. [the company's "Project Texas" initiative](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/tiktok-aims-to-win-over-u-s-skeptics-with-project-texas), which would see American user data stored in America, hosted by an American headquartered company, and grant U.S. The bill would apply to hardware, software, and mobile app products that are covered by current authorities. But we do have an alternative—one that we believe addresses the concerns we’ve heard from this Committee and others. He is expected to be grilled on TikTok's relationship to China, as well as the impact of the platform's algorithm on children. [CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD SUES TIKTOK, SNAP, GOOGLE OVER YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS](https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/california-school-baord-sues-tiktok-snap-google-youth-mental-health-crisis) In February, the White House instructed all federal agencies to delete TikTok from government devices within a 30-day timeframe. "It is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity," Chew testified. [share their data with the Chinese government](https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/tiktok-considering-splitting-chinas-bytedance-deal-with-us-fails-report). [consider banning the app](https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/tiktok) over national security concerns.
In the summer of 2009, Shou Zi Chew was working as a student intern for Facebook. Just over a decade later, he had worked his way up to be the head of its ...
His interest in the tech sector drew him to his next major role as chief financial officer of Chinese phone maker Xiaomi. Under his stewardship, Mr Chew pushed TikTok to become the biggest Chinese tech success story the US and the world has ever seen. After Harvard, the pair moved to China where he worked as a venture capital banker in Beijing. “I was working for a startup that summer,” he said. Unlike Mr Zuckerberg, he actually finished his course at Harvard. After growing up in Singapore, he moved to London for a bachelor’s degree in economics at University College London, which he graduated from in 2006.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will make a high-profile appearance before a US Congressional committee, where he'll face a grilling on data security and user ...
[national security](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/topic/national-security/) is protected as well. He also wondered where it might lead. As of October, all new US user data was being stored inside the country. “But the President's job is to make sure again that the Americans, [Microsoft ](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/microsoft-plans-its-mobile-games-store-like-google-apple/article66644683.ece)in China, we have [Apple ](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/apple-backs-music-start-up-gamma-launched-by-former-employee/article66598271.ece)in China. It has also been putting up ads all over Washington that tout promises of securing users’ data and privacy and creating a safe platform for its young users. A nationwide ban, however, might be too extreme, he said. Also read: [Canada](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/tiktok-banned-on-all-canadian-government-mobile-devices/article66562482.ece), and New Zealand, along with the European Union, have already [banned TikTok](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/tiktok-banned-on-all-canadian-government-mobile-devices/article66562482.ece) from devices issued to government employees, citing cybersecurity concerns. ” For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60 per cent of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors, such as [Carlyle Group](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/rbi-grants-conditional-nod-to-carlyle-group-verventa-holdings-to-buy-10-stake-in-yes-bank/article66210428.ece). [TikTok](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/amazon-is-launching-tiktok-style-feed-in-bet-on-social-commerce/article66241869.ece) has been trying to sell officials on a $1.5 billion plan called Project Texas, which routes all US user data to domestic servers owned and maintained by [Oracle](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/oracle-is-seeing-strong-growth-momentum-in-india/article66623148.ece). [Apple ](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/apple-approves-chatgpt-driven-app-report/article66586350.ece)and [Google ](https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/googles-chatgpt-rival-bard-is-here-know-what-sundar-pichai-told-google-employees/article66648394.ece)to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new users from downloading it, as well as preventing existing users from updating it, ultimately rendering it useless.
The 40-year-old is facing questioning from US lawmakers amid growing suspicion of the Chinese app.
The father of two, who is married to investment firm CEO Vivian Kao, has also said he does not allow his children to use TikTok as they are "too young". "In the eyes of American officials and politicians, TikTok's Chinese background is an 'original sin'," it added. This could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you." Mr Chew's almost 18,000 followers have since seen him attending the Super Bowl and NBA games, meeting celebrities like Bill Murray, and He was an officer in Singapore's armed forces - a prestigious posting - while serving his military conscription. He also worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for two years.
All eyes will be on Mr Chew when he testifies before US Congress, in what some are already calling an impossible task to sway Washington's minds on the ...
"Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country," Mr Chew will say. “But I remain fundamentally concerned that TikTok, as a Chinese-owned company, is subject to dictates from the Chinese Communist party and poses an unacceptable risk to US national security.” "It was just a more honest exchange than any I've had with the other American CEOs." He has the necessary tech executive credentials to lead TikTok,” he added. "It may be unrealistic and difficult to expect Mr Chew to be a bridge between China and the US," said Mr Faizal, the researcher. Mr Capri said that the TikTok chief being Singaporean would "certainly translate" into a less confrontational atmosphere in the congressional hearings, compared with an exchange between a Chinese national and China hawks sitting on the US committee. According to a written testimony posted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr Chew will say on Thursday that TikTok - with its more than 150 million American users - has never and would never share US user data with the Chinese government. But Mr Capri, the lecturer, pointed out that under China’s national security laws, TikTok and Bytedance, like any Chinese company, are required to turn over data to the Chinese government. "But Mr Chew's nationality won't have any effect on the fundamental issue facing TikTok, which is widespread mistrust and fears about data security and privacy when it comes to a Chinese company." The sources told the paper that Mr Chew straddles the Western and Chinese business worlds, with his country of origin Singapore offering a hedge against any potential crackdown from China or the US. “Mr Chew's role can be viewed as symbolic and non-confrontational,” said Mr Alex Capri, a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation and senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Business School. With the backdrop of US-China tensions providing further bipartisan opposition to the hugely popular short video platform, Mr Chew will likely face intense interrogation when he takes the stand to testify in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr Chew Shou Zhi joined ByteDance as CFO in March 2021 before being appointed TikTok's chief executive in May the same year. PHOTO: AFP.
In February 2022, Mr Chew set up his own TikTok account, @shou.time. Under his leadership, TikTok became one of the biggest Chinese technology success stories in the world. Born and bred in Singapore, Mr Chew is fluent in English and Mandarin. “We want the leadership of HBS to decide where to allocate our contributions. In May that year, he was appointed TikTok’s chief executive. Facebook went public in mid-2012.
The extremely popular app has provoked the ire of two presidential administrations and Congress over its ties to China.
Biden revoked that order in June 2021 under the stipulation that the US committee on foreign investment conduct a review of the company. When that review stalled, Biden announced that TikTok must sell its Chinese-owned shares or face a ban in the US. [spreading on the platform](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/16/tiktok-eating-disorder-thinspo-teens). He is expected to use his appearance to assuage lawmaker fears about data practices and commit to not allowing the Chinese government to influence TikTok in any way. “The energy and commerce committee has been at the forefront of asking big tech CEOs – from Facebook to Twitter to Google – to answer for their companies’ actions. While the platform has repeatedly denied those claims, stating it stores US user data outside of
TikTok's chief executive Shou Zi Chew will face attacks on multiple fronts when he testifies before Congress on Thursday, in an appearance that will help to ...
For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. Compare Standard and Premium Digital For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital,
The social media app's boss is not nearly as well-known as tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk. Here's how Shou Zi Chew went from Facebook intern ...
[corporate structure](https://fortune.com/2023/03/21/bytedance-corporate-structure-tiktok-ceo-testimony-china/) in three years, posting a chart to its website this month that maps out the separation between the various divisions of the organization. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-11-16/in-conversation-with-shou-chew), the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/exclusive-tiktoks-ceo-on-the-apps-future-in-the-us/533a1bc7-c308-44a2-992d-5e0087b132ab), and others. At the New York Times’ [Dealbook Summit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE5Pcz99JFI) in November, Chew discussed Project Texas, which sets up a new subsidiary called TikTok U.S. [Xiaomi](https://fortune.com/company/xiaomi/), and then joined his old friends at ByteDance in March 2021 as chief financial officer. The job kept him in London for a couple more years and led to an introduction to DST Investment Management, the firm that was an early investor in Facebook. joining a few other countries in banning TikTok on government devices, and Senate intelligence chair Mark Warner proposing the Restrict Act, which would enable the US commerce secretary to ban TikTok and any other tech from nations considered a national security threat. That led to a meeting with the founding team of ByteDance and TikTok. [a Congressional hearing about TikTok’s ties to China,](https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/tik-tok-ceo-to-testify-at-energy-and-commerce-committee) where its parent company ByteDance is based, and about the app’s data and privacy practices. That desire led him to the University College London, where, upon graduating, he felt lost about what he wanted his next steps to be and told graduates in is one of the few topics in Washington that has bipartisan support these days, and the Biden administration is [reportedly seeking to force ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok](https://fortune.com/2023/03/15/tiktok-china-owners-sell-stakes-us-ban-cfius/) or see the app banned in the U.S. He asked users to share what they love about TikTok and the value it brings to their lives. While there is a smattering of work-related videos, like the company’s office in Los Angeles or his visit to the NBA All Star Tech Summit, he’s also posted his visit to the British Museum, a meal of chicken and fries in Nashville, and his excitement over seeing Rihanna perform at the Super Bowl.
The Republican chair of the committee that will hear from TikTok's chief executive officer on Thursday plans to tell him that his app should be banned in ...
WASHINGTON : TikTok's chief executive will face tough questions from lawmakers on Thursday who are convinced the Chinese-owned short video app should be ...
"Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?" TikTok has said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name "Project Texas" that currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle to store TikTok’s U.S. user data would be shared with the Chinese government and that it fails to adequately protect children from harm.
US lawmakers are set to grill TikTok's chief executive on Thursday, in a wide-ranging hearing that could not come at a more consequential moment for the ...
His written testimony also outlines TikTok’s moves to keep users safe with content moderation, highlighting that the company spent $1 billion in 2021 on trust and safety and reflecting TikTok’s largest US labor expense. TikTok was the top downloaded app in the United States in 2021 and 2022, according to data from analytics firm Sensor Tower. His overarching message: TikTok has become essential to American culture, and to the creators and small business owners who now rely on the app for their livelihoods. TikTok flew out some of the creators, the company confirmed to CNN. Chew, who is from Singapore, will testify on “TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices, the platforms’ impact on kids, and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party,” according to a statement last week from committee. [perceived national security](http://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/tech/tiktok-national-security-concerns/index.html) concerns because of its ties to China through its parent company, ByteDance.
Shou Zi Chew's testimony did not seem to quell many concerns that lawmakers had about its connections to China or the adequacy of its risk mitigation plan.
Toward the end of the hearing, Chew expressed that his testimony was attempting to do something almost impossible. A key question for members of the committee seemed to be whether TikTok could uphold American values while being a subsidiary of a Chinese company. Chew denied that TikTok shares data with the Chinese Communist Party. data, its failure to remove some dangerous or harmful posts and whether the company has interacted or aligned itself with the Chinese Communist Party. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., likened the focus on TikTok to a "red scare" over China, but many of his Democratic colleagues on Thursday seemed deeply concerned about security risks stemming from TikTok's Chinese ownership. [allies on Capitol Hill](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/22/house-democrat-jamaal-bowman-leads-push-against-a-tiktok-ban.html), lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee did not display a similar level of sympathy. But Chew's testimony did not quell many concerns that lawmakers had about its ties to China or the adequacy of its risk-mitigation plan, Project Texas. Chew began his opening remarks by sharing details of his background and the countries to which he's been connected. Or, the government could find other ways to try to ban the app. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. Chew found little reprieve during the questioning from either side of the aisle on Thursday. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., speaking to the TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, a couple hours into a marathon hearing about the potential threat to U.S.
The TikTok CEO, a former Goldman Sachs banker and Harvard grad, is on the hot seat as lawmakers consider banning the app.
Chew told the House panel that TikTok is building "what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected U.S. data and potential manipulation of the TikTok U.S. "Only vetted personnel operating in a new company, called TikTok U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access," including the establishment of a new corporate entity to oversee the handling of U.S. National security experts have warned that TikTok, which has 150 million American users, could be used to spy on Americans or as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government. He was considered a good fit for TikTok because of his background in investment banking and his time at Facebook and DST Global, said Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities. Most Americans likely first heard of Chew when he released a video this week speaking directly to TikTok's U.S. ByteDance said in a statement that it "strongly condemned" the actions of those involved and they were no longer employed by the company. ecosystem." However, TikTok's status as a Chinese-owned company makes some national-security experts nervous. Chew reports to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo. Chew, born in January 1983 in Singapore, completed mandatory military service for the Singaporean government as a teenager.
PALO ALTO, U.S./HONG KONG -- TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced withering questions from U.S. lawmakers Thursday over allegations of the company's ties to.
lawmakers Thursday over allegations of the company's ties to the Chinese Communist Party and spying by Beijing. "We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values, values for freedom, human rights and innovation," Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Republican chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in her opening remarks at the hearing.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew sought to protect his company from a potential US ban or forced sale during a four-and-a-half hour congressional hearing that rarely ...
Chew Shou Zi was grilled by US lawmakers for more than five hours. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The data will be housed in a new division, US Data Security, which will be monitored by American tech company Oracle, an effort dubbed “Project Texas”. [Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok. Pop star Selena Gomez, jeans maker Levi’s and streaming giant Netflix are some of the big names that are on TikTok. [rallied at Congress, as they discussed their opposition to a potential ban. They have been calling for TikTok to be removed from app stores unless it is sold to a US company. He argued that the platform was doing everything to ensure the safety of its American users. But this was stalled in the courts until Mr Trump’s term as president ended. In recent times, governments around the world have also imposed a ban on the usage of TikTok on government devices. ](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/tiktok-users-protest-proposals-for-us-ban-at-congress)They drew attention to the benefits of TikTok for their livelihoods and lives. [Biden administration has also pressed ByteDance recently ](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-house-panel-approves-bill-giving-biden-power-to-ban-tiktok)to divest its stake on TikTok or face a ban in the US. In December 2022, the US government approved an unprecedented ban on the use of TikTok on federal government devices. The report added that TikTok has reportedly played up ongoing plans to separate the user data of Americans and store it in the country, a point that was also reiterated by Mr Chew at the hearing.
TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi sought to protect his company from a potential US ban or forced sale. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Lawmakers did not seem to buy that argument, citing TikTok’s huge growth in the US. Mr Chew later told the committee he does not let his children use TikTok. Representative Michael McCaul said Mr Chew’s testimony proved that TikTok needed to be sold or banned. Ms Rodgers made a point of telling Mr Chew he was under oath and obligated to tell the truth. But the executive’s attempted assurances on data security failed to sway members, especially as he gave non-committal responses to their chief concerns. That statement undermined whatever assurances Mr Chew might have been able to give about