Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee called TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew for nearly five hours to voice concerns about the platform’s risks to US user safety, data privacy, and national security.
“The American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security,” said committee chair Cathy McMorris Rogers, a Republican, adding, “TikTok is a weapon.” concluded.
Rogers suggests that even for Americans who have never used the app, “TikTok is watching us all, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can use it as a tool to manipulate the whole of America.” I’m here.
In his testimony, Chu said TikTok’s $1.5 billion solution to these concerns, Project Texas, would force TikTok’s sale from China-controlled ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, or force TikTok to sell in the United States. Chew defended TikTok as an “unprecedented” move in Project Texas to be more transparent about its algorithms and data collection than any other major tech company. He said he started working on it.
“American companies don’t have a good track record when it comes to data privacy,” Chu reminded the committee, telling members of Congress that the questions they had about TikTok go far beyond just one app. I have repeatedly said that this reflects an industry-wide problem.
Chew also said Project Texas, which ensures TikTok data stays behind U.S. firewalls and out of China’s reach, has “evidence” that Congress’ national security concerns have not been addressed. nothing,” he said. But he declined to comment on a whistleblower report from the Tech Workers Coalition that a TikTok content moderator confirmed one of Congress’ worst allegations.
But congressmen like Jay Overnolte (California Republican), who said he had more experience with Internet technology than many of his colleagues on the committee, said Project Texas was Chu’s claimed panacea. Obernorte said, in his opinion, it is not “technically possible” for Project Texas to keep US user data out of China’s reach. Not only could malicious actors operating within Project Texas access China’s user data, but TikTok was not fully transparent about its data sales, China could buy U.S. user data. There are also concerns that it may
The Wall Street Journal reported that China said it would act to stop forced sales of TikTok, so Zhu wondered to what extent China and the Chinese Communist Party may be involved in manipulating TikTok. And pressed as to whether China believed it had the power to stop the forced sale.Sale. Chu did not directly deny that China might intervene.
After being called “evasive” by several committee members during his testimony, Chu shared some insight into TikTok’s China ties and reported directly to China-owned ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo. Chew said that ByteDance did not require employees to disclose this information. , also seem to agree that many ByteDance employees are likely to be CCP members.
Things got personal for Chu, who lives in Singapore instead of China. When members of Congress pressured him to reveal his own ties to the Chinese Communist Party, he repeatedly sidestepped it. He reminded the committee that his testimony was solely about TikTok. Several members of the Society consistently refused to respond.
“You completely bound yourself to avoid criticizing the Chinese Communist Party’s treatment of Uyghurs,” Kelly Armstrong (Republican-ND) told Chu.
What Chu said did not appear to weaken the bipartisan united front against TikTok put forward by committee members.
Rick Allen (R-Ga.) outspokenly said Chu gave him “no reason to believe” when TikTok followed a US order that conflicted with what the Chinese Communist Party wanted. Chu continued to deny that the Chinese Communist Party controlled his TikTok, but remained vague on many other questions, while Diana Hershberger (Tennessee Republican) said, “ByteDance China first, America second,” he said. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) told his Chew: that is not true.
I had a lot of questions that Chew couldn’t answer and promised to follow up instead. A committee member said he was given 10 working days to submit written questions to TikTok. How (and to whom) TikTok sells user data, how much TikTok revenue ByteDance keeps, and how many technical resources are shared between TikTok and other of his ByteDance-owned companies. There were open questions all the way through.
In written testimony prepared ahead of the hearing, Mr. Chu argued that “ByteDance is not an agent for China,” and made four promises to both Congress and American TikTok users. He maintains user safety as a top priority, preventing unauthorized foreign access to American user data, preventing the government from manipulating TikTok content, and granting access to independent third-party monitors. By doing so, we have pledged to be transparent and accountable for all these promises.
But after Mr. Chu testified before Congress for the first time, Mark Vesey, a Texas Democrat, told Mr. Chu that he thought TikTok’s endorsements were “worthless.”
Perhaps Russ Fulcher (Republican, Idaho) best summed up the disappointing hearing when he told Chew, “Today wasn’t a good day,” for both TikTok and Congress.
TikTok did not respond to Ars’ request for comment regarding the hearing.
