On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before U.S. Congress to answer questions about the social media platform’s data privacy and security policies. The hearing was held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and was attended by several lawmakers, including Committee Chair Frank Pallone Jr. and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
During a congressional hearing, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced tough questions from both Republican committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and ranking Democratic member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) about the platform’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s influence over TikTok’s management.
McMorris Rodgers alleged that top ByteDance executives, including CEO Liang Rubo and CEO of its China office Kelly Zhang, have ties to the CCP. Chew, who often communicates with both executives, stated that he has not communicated with any Chinese government officials during his tenure as TikTok CEO.
McMorris Rodgers also referenced a statement from China’s Commerce Ministry, which suggested that any sale or divestiture of TikTok would require approval from the Chinese government due to the export of proprietary technology.
She argued that this indicated that the CCP believes it has the final say over the company and expressed skepticism towards TikTok’s claims of independence.
“I have zero confidence in your assertion that ByteDance and TikTok are not beholden to the CCP,” McMorris Rodgers said.
McMorris Rodgers and other committee members also repeatedly cited a report about ByteDance tracking the physical location of Forbes journalists in an attempt to uncover their sources.
Ranking member Frank Pallone and the other members of the committee were also not convinced by Chew’s testimony. They expressed that the only way to control Big Tech’s data collection practices is through the implementation of a national privacy law
“Today, the American people are powerless to stop this invasion of their privacy,” Pallone said. “And we can’t wait any longer to pass comprehensive national privacy legislation that puts people back in control of their data.”