(MENAFN) TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, is set to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Thursday morning, where he will assure lawmakers that the social media giant is taking "real action" to address national security concerns from U.S. policymakers. The hearing will focus on TikTok's "consumer privacy and data security practices, how the platform affects children, and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party," or CCP, according to the committee. TikTok has been facing efforts to ban the app in the U.S. due to concerns that it could be used to spy on Americans or as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government.
Chew is likely to face intense questioning during the hearing, which is TikTok's highest-profile opportunity to mitigate national security fears. In his prepared testimony, Chew plans to tell the panel that ByteDance, TikTok's China-based parent company, "is not an agent of China or any other country." He will also say that TikTok is building "what amounts to a firewall to seal off protected U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access," including the establishment of a new corporate entity to oversee the handling of U.S. user data.
Chew will tell lawmakers that "today, U.S. TikTok data is stored by default in Oracle's servers. Only vetted personnel operating in a new company, called TikTok U.S. Data Security, can control access to this data. Additionally, we have plans for this company to report to an independent American board with strong security credentials." He will add that "The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel."
Despite TikTok's efforts to address national security concerns, some U.S. officials and national security experts remain skeptical. They have warned that TikTok could be used to spy on Americans or as a propaganda tool by the Chinese government. Advocates for banning the app in the U.S. say that TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, could be forced to share user data with the CCP.
Chew plans to assure lawmakers that TikTok's approach has "never been to dismiss or trivialize" concerns about "unwanted foreign access to U.S. data and potential manipulation of the TikTok U.S. ecosystem." The hearing will be closely watched as lawmakers and national security experts continue to grapple with how to address the potential national security risks posed by social media apps like TikTok.
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