- Kyle Chua
Key Takeaways from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's Appearance Before US Lawmakers
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in his first appearance before the U.S. Congress was grilled about the app's alleged connections to the Chinese government and its efforts to protect user data.
The Singaporean tech executive, who supposedly does very few interviews, appeared prepared for his testimony, downplaying many of the security concerns levelled at the short-form video giant. However, many of the lawmakers of the House Energy and Commerce Committee seemed to have already been in agreement that the app should be banned in the U.S.
Here are some key takeaways from the hearing.
TikTok's Practices Are No Different From Other Industry Players
Chew stressed TikTok takes data privacy seriously, and doesn't share any U.S. user data with the Chinese government.
"We are committed to be very transparent with our users about what we collect," he said. "I don’t believe what we collect is more than most players in the industry."
His statement suggests that TikTok's practices in collecting data is no different from the likes of Facebook or Twitter, to name a couple of examples. Similar to those two social media networks, the popular video app collects data about users' activities, such as what videos they watch, the comments they write and the messages they send, among others. The app can access geolocation and contact lists if users allow it. But Chew previously said that the app doesn't collect precise GPS data from U.S. users.
Chew's interaction with Congressman Richard Hudson is also apparently gaining a lot of traction online. The North Carolina Representative asked Chew whether TikTok could access users' home Wi-Fi networks, which seemingly suggested he didn't understand how the technology works.
"So if I have the TikTok app on my phone and my phone is on my home Wi-Fi network, does TikTok access that network?" asked Hudson.
"It would have to – to access the network to get connections to the internet, if that's the question," Chew replied in confusion.
"Is it possible, then, that it could access other devices on that home Wi-Fi network?" Hudson asked as a follow up.
"Congressman, we do not do anything that is beyond any industry norms. I believe the answer to your question is no. It could be technical. Let me get back to you," said Chew.
TikTok's Independence From China
Prior to the hearing, Chew already issued a written testimony stating that ByteDance, the Chinese internet giant that owns TikTok, is not an agent of China. He went on to underscore the point further in front of Congress saying, "TikTok itself is not available in mainland China, we’re headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we have 7,000 employees in the U.S. today."
But many lawmakers were sceptical and refused to hear Chew out. "Your platform should be banned," said Washington Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I expect today you’ll say anything to avoid this outcome."
While TikTok doesn't operate in China, U.S. lawmakers and security officials believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still has indirect leverage over the popular app through ByteDance, based in Beijing. That suggests TikTok could be forced to surrender U.S. user data if the CCP orders it to do so.
Chew repeatedly pointed to TikTok's investment in Project Texas to try and appease the concerns of the committee members. Project Texas is the company's billion-dollar initiative to store all U.S. user data within U.S. soil, helping ensure it's not accessed by any foreign governments or unidentified third parties.
"Earlier this month, we began the process of deleting historical protected U.S. user data stored in non-Oracle servers; we expect this process to be completed later this year," Chew wrote in his testimony. "Under this structure, there is no way for the Chinese government to access it or compel access to it."
Still, these efforts aren't enough for some lawmakers, who also want ByteDance to divest from TikTok.
"To the American people watching today, hear this: TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you, manipulate what you see and exploit for future generations," said McMorris Rodgers.
TikTok's Effect on Children, Teens
Another concern brought up by lawmakers is TikTok's impact on the health of children and teens in the U.S.
"Research has found that TikTok’s algorithms recommend videos to teens that create and exacerbate feelings of emotional distress, including videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders," said New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone. Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis, meanwhile, said TikTok's content moderation is not effective enough to protect children from content that promotes self-harm. "Your technology is literally leading to death," he told Chew.
TikTok has recently rolled out a number of safeguards that would limit the risks of children and teens being exposed to sensitive content, chief of which is perhaps the introduction of a new setting that limits app usage of those under the age of 18 to one hour daily.
TikTok's Transparency...Or Lack Thereof
Despite being prepared to defend TikTok on all the major security concerns, Chew didn't attempt to answer all the questions levelled at him by the members of the committee. He dodged and deflected a few questions like how much money the social network was making. The move frustrated some of the lawmakers present, including California Congressman Tony Cárdenas, who likened Chew to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
"You remind me a lot of Mark Zuckerberg. When he came here, I said to my staff, ‘He reminds me of Fred Astaire – good dancer with words.’ And you are doing the same today. A lot of your answers are a bit nebulous; they’re not yes or no," said the Congressman.
Zuckerberg faced the same house committee in 2018 in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal that involved private user data on Facebook being shared and used for malicious intent.
It also didn't help that Chew didn't give a clear answer when asked if he agrees with a statement that the Chinese government persecutes the Uighur minority in China.
Chew also drew backlash among committee members for his response on whether ByteDance employees had spied on American journalists. "I don’t think ‘spying’ is the right way to describe it," he said. "This is ultimately an internal investigation." TikTok and Chew later clarified that no spying happened involving the CCP.
The lawmakers and Chew are referring to an incident where a number of ByteDance employees overstepped and used the app to track the locations of journalists. The employees, both U.S. and China-based, have since been fired.
Chew did fire back stating that the American tech giants can also make the same mistakes. "With a lot of respect, American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security," he said. "Just look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, for one example."
After the five-hour-long session, TikTok doesn't appear any safer from the ban than it was before. Some might even argue it's now more apparent than ever that the nationwide ban is imminent, with the way the lawmakers questioned Chew.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew in his first appearance before the U.S. Congress was grilled about the app's alleged connections to the Chinese government and its efforts to protect user data.
The Singaporean tech executive appeared prepared for his testimony, downplaying many of the security concerns levelled at the short-form video giant.
However, many of the lawmakers of the House Energy and Commerce Committee seemed to have already been in agreement that the app should be banned in the U.S.