Shou Chew, the chief executive of TikTok, will testify before Congress for the first time on Thursday, in an appearance that is expected to reflect the growing distrust of US lawmakers towards Chinese ownership of the short-form video app.
The hearing, which will begin at 10 a.m. before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will provide lawmakers with a rare opportunity to ask Mr. Chew questions directly about TikTok’s relationship with its Chinese owner, ByteDance, as well as as well as about the application’s handling of sensitive US user data and the risks it may pose to teens and children.
TikTok is working to secure its future in the United States, one of its largest markets, where it claims to have 150 million users and where it has become a culture-creating machine. But lawmakers have questions about ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government and whether they could put the data of American TikTok users in the hands of Beijing officials. US intelligence officials such as FBI Director Christopher A. Wray have also warned that the Chinese government could use TikTok’s algorithm for “influence operations.”
TikTok, which was initially hailed as China’s first global Internet success story, has come to represent the growing divide between the United States and China over technological leadership and national security. The app has become a battleground in a tech Cold War between the two countries, with US threats to ban TikTok reminiscent of how China has long blocked many American platforms.
To continue operating in the United States under ByteDance ownership, TikTok has sought approval from a group of federal agencies known as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, for a plan called Project Texas. That plan outlines how TikTok will prevent the Chinese government from accessing US user data or meddling with content recommendations, with oversight by government-approved officials and third-party auditors.
The plan has not been approved. Last week, news broke that the Biden administration wants TikTok’s Chinese property to sell the app or face a possible ban.
China said on Thursday that it would “strongly oppose” a forced sale of TikTok. A Commerce Ministry spokeswoman told a news conference that such a sale would “seriously undermine the confidence of investors from various countries, including China, to invest in the United States.”
Amid the lack of resolution, more than two dozen US states, several universities and Congress have enacted TikTok bans in recent months. The White House also recently backed a bipartisan Senate bill that would give the administration more power to deal with TikTok, including a potential ban.
During Thursday’s hearing, Mr. Chew, a Singaporean native who continues to live in the country, may also be asked about ByteDance’s surveillance of US journalists, which has been investigated by the Justice Department. The company admitted in December that China-based ByteDance employees recovered the sensitive data of American TikTok users, including reporters, to try to find a leak.
On Tuesday, Mr. Chew posted a Tik Tok to the company’s main account, which has 69.2 million followers. He called this moment “pivotal” and said TikTok could go away, but he would testify about the app’s efforts to protect Americans. He asked users to share what they love about TikTok in the comments. TikTok also brought dozens of creators to Washington after weeks of recruiting and held press conferences with them.
The chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican.
chang che contributed reporting.
