TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before US Congress amid growing security concerns – live

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Good morning and welcome to our liveblog of today’s interrogation of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew by US Congress members.

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The panel, convened by the House committee on energy and commerce, will begin at 10am ET and is titled TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy And Protect Children From Online Harms.

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This marks the first appearance from a TikTok chief executive before US lawmakers. It comes as the political storm surrounding the China-owned social media platform intensifies, with the Biden administration threatening to ban the app entirely in the US.

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TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has long faced criticisms over the data it holds on US users – data that lawmakers fear could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.

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According to prepared statements shared in advance, Chew is anticipated to insist that TikTok has never, and would never, share US user data with the Chinese government, nor let the state manipulate what content is shown on the platform.

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“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

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Stay tuned for more updates as the hearing gets under way.

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Key events

Shou Zi Chew, TikTok CEO, is beginning his testimony with an emphasis on his Singaporean heritage. He has tried this strategy before in a letter to lawmakers when he first took over the company. TikTok is run by a Singaporean based in Singapore, he wrote in that letter, and not beholden to the Chinese government.

Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) is focused more on the spread of misinformation on TikTok, and the platform’s impact on teen mental health. He’s also taking this opportunity to speak to urge the passage of a bill that would create a federal privacy law that would reign in all of Big Tech’s data-collection practices.

Good morning, the hearing has started.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the chair of the House energy and commerce committee, spoke passionately about her concerns with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. The main thrust of her argument is that TikTok poses a “grave threat” from foreign influence on American life. She claims that China requires companies to allow the government to access its data, by design.

Rodgers tells Chew that he has to not just answer to Congress but also to the American people.

TikTok CEO to begin testimony shortly

Good morning and welcome to our liveblog of today’s interrogation of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew by US Congress members.

The panel, convened by the House committee on energy and commerce, will begin at 10am ET and is titled TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy And Protect Children From Online Harms.

This marks the first appearance from a TikTok chief executive before US lawmakers. It comes as the political storm surrounding the China-owned social media platform intensifies, with the Biden administration threatening to ban the app entirely in the US.

TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has long faced criticisms over the data it holds on US users – data that lawmakers fear could fall into the hands of the Chinese government.

According to prepared statements shared in advance, Chew is anticipated to insist that TikTok has never, and would never, share US user data with the Chinese government, nor let the state manipulate what content is shown on the platform.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

Stay tuned for more updates as the hearing gets under way.

The Guardian

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