TikTok CEO

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

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.

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.

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

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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CEO of TikTok will make a high-profile appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee, where he'll face a grilling on data ...

The company started deleting all historic U.S. Chew plans to tell the U.S. For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60% percent of its parent company ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group. “But the President’s job is to make sure again that the Americans, national security is protected as well. As of October, all new U.S. On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill Under the project, access to U.S. user data to domestic servers owned and maintained by software giant Oracle. Data Security, which employs 1,500 people, is run independently of ByteDance and would be monitored by outside observers. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology. Congressional committee, where he’ll face a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn’t be banned. Shou Zi Chew’s testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S.

Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, is currently in the spotlight amid growing scepticism of the Chinese app around the world. The app is currently running the ...

On Tuesday, Chew personally addressed US users in a TikTok video, drawing their attention to the potential ban. The company claims that the procedures represent an unprecedented effort to reassure Americans that their data is secure. to independently monitor against any intervention from Beijing as part of a billion-dollar investment plan to separate the app from its Chinese owners, reported the Wall Street Journal. He has worked the media circuit, sharing in interviews his love of golf and admiration for comic Kevin Hart. While completing his military conscription, he held the honourable position of officer in Singapore's armed services. The app is running the risk of being banned across the United States.

The CEO of TikTok will make a high-profile appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee to make the case for why the hugely popular ...

The company started deleting all historic U.S. Chew plans to tell the U.S. For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60% percent of its parent company ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group. “But the President’s job is to make sure again that the Americans, national security is protected as well. As of October, all new U.S. Under the project, access to U.S. 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. user data to domestic servers owned and maintained by software giant Oracle. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology. Congressional committee, where he'll face a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn't be banned. Shou Zi Chew's testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform.

The CEO of TikTok will make a high-profile appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee to make the case for why the hugely popular ...

The company started deleting all historic U.S. Chew plans to tell the U.S. For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60% percent of its parent company ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group. “But the President’s job is to make sure again that the Americans, national security is protected as well. As of October, all new U.S. Under the project, access to U.S. 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. user data to domestic servers owned and maintained by software giant Oracle. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology. Congressional committee, where he'll face a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn't be banned. Shou Zi Chew's testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform.

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 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 ...

A group of nearly three dozen widely followed TikTok creators will be on Capitol Hill Wednesday to share what the platform has meant to them and their careers. “If a person were to vote to ban TikTok, I genuinely just don't think they're listening to the voices of their constituents. It's true that other social media companies have been criticized for their impact on the mental health of young people and for collecting personal data to feed their advertising businesses. Warner's bill has strong bipartisan support in the Democratic-led Senate, but it would still need to pass the GOP-led House. Several states are considering laws to restrict this business, and privacy advocates have urged US Congress to do the same. “I anticipate when he comes in, he's going to try to be the face of an independent, private company, and I just don't think that's a fact.” Reports about TikTok's practice of “heating” some content to boost its reach have also unnerved lawmakers who are concerned about Chinese authorities pushing their worldview on US users via the popular app. People familiar with that decision said the US has told ByteDance to sell its shares in TikTok or face a ban. According to Chew's prepared remarks, he will tell the committee TikTok “will never stop looking for ways to improve” protections for teenagers. Chew will directly address persistent allegations that TikTok could be used to spy on Americans or to push Chinese Communist Party propaganda — both accusations that US lawmakers and government agencies have made against the app. Chew will be pressed to answer for the role TikTok played in those tragedies, the aides said. The mobile app's 150 million users in the US and the strength of its content-recommendation engine mean any infraction is viewed as a potential societal threat.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will address a potential U.S. ban on the app, prepared remarks show.

economy, according to his prepared remarks. Chew will likely encounter stiff opposition from some members of the Republican-led committee, which oversees energy and commerce. "I condemn this misconduct in the strongest possible terms." [approve](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-committee-advances-bill-giving-biden-authority-ban/story?id=97553411) a bill that would give Biden the authority to ban TikTok. But we do have an alternative," Chew will say. In testimony on Wednesday, Chew is expected to mention the importance of free expression but he will sustain an emphasis on the safety of user data and the value of TikTok for the U.S. [letter](https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ACLU-Letter-of-Opposition-to-HR-1153.pdf) to federal lawmakers last month, the American Civil Liberties Union voiced opposition to a full ban of TikTok. He also aims to dispel concerns among U.S. user data. There is no evidence that TikTok has shared U.S. [scrutiny](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-admin-demands-tiktoks-chinese-owner-sell-stakes/story?id=97899074) from government officials over fears that user data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government and the app could be weaponized by China to spread misinformation. [TikTok](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/tiktok-facing-bans-us-countries/story?id=97528047) over a potential [ban](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/uncharted-territory-tiktok-ban-us-work/story?id=97907065) is set for a reckoning on Thursday when TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before a committee of House lawmakers.

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 ...

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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 ...

TikTok's chief executive will face tough questions from lawmakers on Thursday who are convinced the Chinese-owned short video app should be barred for being ...

"Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?" Last week, TikTok said President Joe Biden's administration demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban. "Let's do the right thing here - comprehensive social media reform as it relates to privacy and security." Some political experts say a TikTok ban could be damaging to Democrats who have used the platform to reach younger voters. The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing will be chaired by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who says she is unconvinced by TikTok's security commitments. user data would be shared with the Chinese government and that it fails to adequately protect children from harm.

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.

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.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning, as his company fights to stave off a potential ban in the ...

TikTok became a viral sensation in the U.S. [plans](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/Written_Testimony_of_Shou_Chew_c07504eccf.pdf?updated_at=2023-03-21T23:59:00.070Z) to tell Congress that he strongly prioritizes the safety of users, particularly teens, and that TikTok will firewall U.S. That bill and others like it in Congress have attracted scores of co-sponsors, both Democrats and Republicans. Chew also plans to say that the company "will not be manipulated by any government" and it will be transparent and allow independent monitors to assess its compliance. Please refresh the page if you do not see a video above at that time.) (The stream is slated to start at 10:00 a.m.

Lawmakers press TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew over data security, misinformation and other issues.

“I'm not convinced that the benefits outweigh the threats it poses to Americans in its current form.” Jamaal Bowman, D-NY, and Rep. “We will firewall protect the U.S. There is no evidence that TikTok has shared U.S. Rep. The China-based app, which counts more than 150 million U.S.

TikTok is ramping up a public relations campaign to fend off the possibility of a nationwide ban by the Biden administration.

He said a TikTok ban would hurt the U.S. 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. 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. A recent incident with a spy balloon forced even some wary congressional Democrats to join Republicans in opposition, and there is now a strong bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or use the platform to push favorable narratives or misinformation. The company started deleting the historical protected data of U.S. “TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. House Republicans are pushing a bill that would give Biden the power to ban the app. But the company has also gotten support from at least three progressive lawmakers who say they oppose a ban on the platform. “And just to be here and share my story is what TikTok has invited me to do.” The effort to target TikTok is part of a larger, tougher approach that Congress has taken in the past several months as China’s relationship with two U.S. TikTok has been attempting to sell that proposal to the Biden administration, but skeptics have argued it doesn’t go far enough. data to domestic servers owned and maintained by the software giant Oracle.

Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Bryan van der ...

"I do think there's a chance that it may not necessarily have the impact that TikTok is looking for," said Jasmine Enberg, a social media analyst for Insider Intelligence. Tim Martin, a college football coach in North Dakota who posts about sports on TikTok to a following of 1 million users, estimated 70% of his income comes from the app. On Wednesday, Bowman held a press conference with dozens of creators, opposing the ban and saying rhetoric around the app is a sort of "red scare" pushed primarily by Republicans. Lawmakers and aides who spoke with CNBC ahead of the hearing emphasized that comprehensive privacy legislation will be necessary regardless of what action is taken against TikTok in particular. [plans](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/Written_Testimony_of_Shou_Chew_c07504eccf.pdf?updated_at=2023-03-21T23:59:00.070Z) to tell Congress that he strongly prioritizes the safety of users, and particularly teens; that TikTok will firewall U.S. "TikTok is in a really unique position right now to take some positive steps on issues that a lot of top American companies have fallen behind and frankly even regressed on, whether it's protecting kids or embracing transparency," Trahan said. "I think the conversation right now about a ban certainly threatens to let Big Tech companies off the hook, and it's on Congress not to fall into that trap." Both Trahan and Bilirakis mentioned the need for privacy reform as a more systemic solution to the issues raised by TikTok. "At this point, it's so embedded that even if they were successful in banning Tiktok altogether, that the damage is done." "And in other ways, it would be over-broad because there are less restrictive ways that the government could achieve its ends." Although TikTok is in the hot seat, the hearing will also raise existential questions for the U.S. There's little appetite in Washington to accept the potential risks that TikTok's ownership by Chinese company ByteDance poses to U.S.

U.S. lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Thursday accused TikTok of serving harmful content and inflicting "emotional distress" on young users, ...

Bob Latta, Republican from Ohio, spoke during the hearing of a 10-year-old girl who suffocated herself doing a so-called "blackout challenge" from videos posted on the app. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. Rep.

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 ...

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.

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.

Shou Zi Chew also expected to promise company will never 'honour such a request if one were ever made'

TikTok “is not the platform of choice for individuals seeking to engage in harmful conduct”, Mr Chew will say, in a tacit criticism of rivals such as Google-owned YouTube and Meta-owned Facebook that have also struggled with harmful or illegal content. “It is a comprehensive package of measures with layers of independent oversight to protect against back doors into TikTok that could be used to manipulate the platform or access US user protected data,” he will say. The pledge will be part of Mr Chew's testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in which he intends to oppose calls, including from the White House, for the app to be banned in the US as long as it remains a Chinese company.

TikTok now has 150 million users in the US, up from 100 million it said it had in 2020…

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,” Chew added. The UK also recently [ordered](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bbc-tells-staff-to-delete-tiktok-after-uk-bans-app-on-government-devices/) federal employees to delete the app on government-owned devices. But we do have an alternative — one that we believe addresses the concerns we’ve heard from this Committee and others. The executive will again campaign TikTok’s Project Texas before the Congress. The reasons for passing the RESTRICT Act are real and urgent—preventing espionage and privacy invasion. “The risks are unacceptable—foreign powers exploiting tech platforms like TikTok and Huawei to undercut our national security must be stopped. TikTok has repeatedly dismissed these concerns. [reports](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-threatens-to-ban-tiktok-if-chinese-founder-doesnt-sell-ownership-stake-36d7295c) that the US has [threatened](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-says-the-us-government-wants-its-chinese-owners-to-sell-stakes-or-face-ban-report/) to ban TikTok from the country if its Chinese owners don’t sell their stakes. “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.” In a video posted to the app, TikTok CEO Shou Chew said that the number of users in the US works out to “almost half of the US coming to TikTok”. [six more](https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?id=96968148-74D2-4864-8AFA-68960F624F1F) US senators on Friday (March 17) backed a [bipartisan bill](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/house-panel-approves-bill-that-could-lead-to-total-tiktok-ban-in-the-us/) to give US President Joe Biden the ability to ban TikTok on national security grounds. [ByteDance](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/companies/bytedance/), revealed the number on Tuesday (March 21) as the company faces growing calls from lawmakers to have it banned in the US due to national security concerns.

Both Republicans and Democrats expressed deep skepticism that the company won't share U.S. user data with the Chinese government while questioning Chew.

Lawmakers went on to reprimand the CEO over the safety of children, misinformation and targeted advertising. "You have repeatedly used the word transparency throughout this hearing," Palmer said. Chew admitted on Thursday that until Project Texas is complete, Beijing-based employees of TikTok would still be able to access U.S. They also said the app promotes misinformation like antivaccine advice and voter suppression campaigns. But, under the restructuring, the digital firewall would prevent Chinese employees from having access to Americans' personal information. The Biden administration told TikTok earlier this month that if its Chinese owners didn't sell their stakes in the app to a U.S. During the hearing, Chew was grilled about whether the app shares data with the Chinese government. Chew said TikTok does not promote or remove content at the request of Chinese authorities. They fear China's authoritarian regime could use the app to spy on, or blackmail, the millions of Americans who use it every day. TikTok offered an alternative it's currently working on, called "Project Texas." In this scenario, the Chinese government couldn't access the data and it would be overseen by Oracle. journalists who were reporting on company leaks — an incident now being investigated by Justice Department, [according to Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2023/03/16/fbi-doj-investigating-bytedance-tiktok-surveillance-journalists/).

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told U.S. lawmakers that China-based employees at its parent company ByteDance may still have access to some U.S. data from the app.

user data from the app. The data on those servers is the kind that could theoretically still be accessed by China-based ByteDance employees for the time being. data with the Chinese Communist Party, saying that TikTok is a "private business" that, like many others, relies on a "global workforce." "Today, there is still some data that we need to delete." user data has been stored exclusively in the lawmakers that China-based employees at its parent company ByteDance may still have access to some U.S. That data is managed exclusively by U.S. data from the app but added that won't be the case once its risk mitigation plan, called Project Texas, is complete. user data could get into the hands of the Chinese government via ByteDance. That's because Chinese law allows the government to obtain inside information from companies based there for purported national security purposes, as officials' fears about TikTok's ownership and also shows how tricky and time-consuming untangling the app from its Chinese parent company can be. - TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told U.S.

Bipartisan support to ban the app has grown over concerns of Chinese government influence, spread of 'harmful content'.

Many legislators also seized on a Wall Street Journal report published on Thursday in which a spokesperson for the Commerce Ministry said any sale of TikTok would need to be approved by the Chinese government. “Your own community guidelines state that you have a firm stance against enabling violence on or off TikTok,” she said. She said it had been on the app since February 10. The administration of President Joe Biden reportedly has called on TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the app or lose the ability to operate in the US. In fact, the entire China has countered that the US is spreading disinformation and suppressing users. He also said TikTok had not shared data with Beijing. “You expect us to believe that you are capable of maintaining the data privacy and security of 150 million Americans when you can’t even protect the people in this room?” “Your platform should be banned”. Chew said the initiative is building “what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected user data from unauthorised foreign access”, adding that pre-existing user data was in the process of being deleted from servers in the US and Singapore. “While TikTok videos provide a new fun way for people to express their creativity and enjoy the videos of others, the platform also threatens the health, privacy and security of the American people,” he said. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation,” she said at the opening of the hearing.

The CEO of TikTok, Shou Chew attempted to address the concerns a dubious Congress that the company will safeguard data of people in the U.S. in the e ...

House Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and ranking member Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. [after](https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/26/tiktok-timeline/) TikTok arrived on U.S. One representative, Anna Eshoo (D-CA) said she found that "preposterous." In his opening statement, Chew outlined commitments that he said the company could make to U.S. users to Oracle services by the end of the year. Chew further said in response to questions that after Project Texas' was complete, no ByteDance employee would be able to access U.S. Chew told legislators Thursday that the company employs about 7,000 people in the U.S. Over thirty states have [banned](https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-threatens-tiktok-ban-if-chinese-owners-dont-sell-stake-wsj-2023-03-15/) it on government devices. [Why Is the U.S. Questions were also asked about TikTok's financial details, such as Chew's salary, which he declined to answer. shores, then-President Donald Trump [attempted](https://www.npr.org/2020/12/07/944039053/u-s-judge-halts-trumps-tiktok-ban-the-2nd-court-to-fully-block-the-action) to have it banned because of parent company ByteDance China-based ownership. Threatening to Ban TikTok?

CEO Shou Zi Chew struggled to convince skeptical lawmakers that the app protects user data as momentum builds for banning the app over national security ...

[new CBS News poll](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-opinion-poll-2023-03-22/) found that most Americans say that TikTok's ties to China pose a security risk, and those who do would like to see the video-sharing app banned in the U.S. [several bills](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-ban-democrats-china-challenge/) that would empower the administration to ban TikTok nationwide. The chief executive told the panel that TikTok is building "what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access," including the establishment of a new corporate entity to oversee U.S. Neal Dunn of Florida about a report by Forbes in 2022 that revealed a group of ByteDance employees in Beijing had planned to "monitor the personal location of some specific American citizens." Data Security is incorporated in the U.S. The Justice Department is said to be [investigating](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-bytedance-justice-department-investigation-spying/) ByteDance for possible spying on U.S. Some of that old data is still held in servers in Virginia and Singapore that could be accessed by engineers in China, according to Chew. "You damn well know that you cannot protect the data and security of this committee or the 150 million users of your app because it is an extension of the CCP," Cammack told Chew. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the committee's chair, said they "do not trust that TikTok will ever embrace American values." [Shou Zi Chew](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew/) struggled to reassure lawmakers that the massively popular social video app doesn't pose a risk to its 150 million users nor share user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Members of both parties spent hours denouncing TikTok's data collection practices and painting it as a tool used by the Chinese government to track and spy on Americans.

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.

US Lawmakers gave Chew no break, denying him opportunities to answer or tout TikTok's popularity with young people.

We don't want your project," said August Pfluger, a Republican from Texas. "Mr Chew, welcome to the most bipartisan committee in congress. Your platform should be banned," the US Committee Chairperson Cathy McMorris Rodgers said. "Please rename your project. "Taking a bludgeon to TikTok and by extension to Americans' First Amendment protections, is not the right solution to the risks that TikTok poses to the privacy of Americans and to the national security of the US," said Nadine Farid Johnson of PEN America, which defends free speech. "Your technology is literally leading to death," US Congressman Gus Bilirakis said as he pointed to a family in the audience whose son was killed in a train tragedy said to be linked to TikTok use.

Lawmakers interrogated Shou Chew over the video app's ties to the Chinese government in a hearing that suggests the company's problems are far from over.

[expanding government insurance](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/business/dealbook/yellen-powell-bank-rules.html) to all U.S. (WSJ) (FT) (The Hollywood Reporter) (NYT) [is significantly higher](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/world/europe/ukraine-kherson-world-bank-rebuild.html) than the $349 billion the institution forecast in September. and South Korea (and under investigation in Singapore) for the $40 billion collapse of his stablecoin company last year, And Charles Schwab says it could survive even [if it lost most of its bank deposits](https://www.wsj.com/articles/charles-schwab-says-it-could-ride-out-a-deposit-flight-a8b2a626). [mockery](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tiktokers-are-mocking-the-us-congressional-hearing-against-tiktok-derogatorily-calling-lawmakers-boomers-who-are-embarrassing-them-in-front-of-the-world/ar-AA190jHh) and disbelief at the lawmakers’ tech knowledge. Senators want the [former C.E.O.s of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/23/silicon-valley-bank-collapse-senators-urge-former-ceo-to-testify.html)to testify before Congress. (Investors had taken heart from reports that the Treasury Department [was studying just that](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-21/us-studies-ways-to-guarantee-all-bank-deposits-if-crisis-expands).) [five hours](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/technology/tiktok-hearing-congress-china.html) in Congress on Thursday about his company’s ties to China, and his testimony did little to suggest the video platform’s problems are over.

No one expected meaningful discourse at the House hearing on TikTok. At least we got entertainment.

[lose $3 billion](https://fortune.com/2023/03/24/ford-motors-projects-loss-electric-vehicles-tesla/) this year, a cost, it says, of refounding the company. And, as my colleague [David Meyer has written](https://fortune.com/2023/03/02/when-it-comes-to-the-tiktok-ban-debate-hypocrisy-abounds/), U.S. Chinese law [allows the government to seek inside information](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/23/tiktok-ceo-china-based-bytedance-employees-can-still-access-some-us-data.html) from companies based there in instances when it believes there are national security issues—a scenario that the U.S. users](https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-tell-congress-it-has-150-million-monthly-active-us-users-2023-03-20/)—and its connections to China’s authoritarian government. “At the same time, there’s a risk that plugins could increase safety challenges by taking harmful or unintended actions, increasing the capabilities of bad actors who would defraud, mislead, or abuse others,” OpenAI said in The threat is troubling for some who say these apps are a lifeline to connect to communities in the U.S. According to the report, which cites anonymous sources, Musk had grown concerned that OpenAI was falling behind Google and proposed that he take control of OpenAI to get things back on track. That could spell trouble not only for Chinese-owned apps like WeChat and CapCut but other apps that run outside of the U.S. But since the proposals give the U.S. [TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew](https://fortune.com/2023/03/22/tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew-debut-spotlight-congress-hearing-china-bytedance/) with questions about potentially harmful algorithms and data privacy. As Will Oremus of the Washington Post The ongoing spectacle of detangling TikTok from its Chinese owner, which now lies at a stalemate, has seen no meaningful progress.