CEO of TikTok remains steadfast as US lawmakers doubt safety assurances

Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, appeared before Congress on Thursday, but his presence did little to quell partisan rage against the popular video-sharing platform. If anything, his lengthy testimony gave critics more reason to demand the app's outlawing in the US.

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Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware, stated, "We came here wanting to hear some action that would assuage our fears. Nothing you've said thus far has given me any sense of comfort. Sincerely, I believe that your testimony left me with more questions than answers."

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Members of both parties interjected often during Chew's attempts to respond to their pointed questions during his hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The evidence comes at a time when lawmakers and the Biden administration are exploring legal options to force ByteDance Ltd., the Chinese company that owns TitTok, to sell its stock in the company or forbid it from doing business in the US.

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Chew says TikTok has offices in Singapore and Los Angeles and is independent of ByteDance Ltd., the platform's owner with headquarters in Beijing.

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The basic fact is that this is American data being used on American soil by an American business under Americans' supervision, Chew said. He said instead that he "saw no proof" of such happening but could not categorically state that no ByteDance personnel have access to that data.

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Do Chinese staff, including engineers, have access to American customer data? Questioned Chew in a "yes or no" question from Ohio Representative Bob Latta. As Chew replied, "This is a complex subject," the audience laughed incredulously.

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Chew gave incomplete denials in response to other yes/no questions. When asked whether TikTok is a Chinese business, he responded, "That's not how we perceive it." When questioned if ByteDance workers have access to American customer data, he responded, "I've seen no evidence."

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In response to a question about whether China can spy on Americans using TikTok from Florida Representative Neal Dunn, Chew said, "No." When questioned about a Forbes article about ByteDance employees accessing the data of US journalists, Chew said, "I don't think that spying is the right way to describe it," which elicited snickers from the audience.

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Chew was frequently reminded that he was testifying under oath. This echoed the general consensus on Capitol Hill this week that it is unwise to believe statements made by TikTok or ByteDance.

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When Florida Republican Michael Bilirakis presented a collection of TikTok videos about suicide accompanied by eerie music, the hearing took a grim turn.

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The court was attended by Michelle and Dean Nasca, whose 16-year-old son committed suicide after using TikTok. The couple is suing ByteDance on the grounds that TikTok delivered their kid over 1,000 videos on self-harm, death, and hopelessness.

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After a brief intermission, the family's attorney, Matthew Bergman, stated that Chew's testimony "gives substance to the term obfuscation" and that he was pleased to see bipartisan support for averting other deaths.

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Chew informed the legislators that TikTok takes users' mental health seriously and directs those who have questions about suicide or death to the platform's safety page.

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The committee's chair and Republican from Washington, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, said of TikTok's justifications for why the site is secure, "We aren't buying it."

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The fact that 150 million Americans use the app, according to Rodgers, is exactly why it poses such a threat.

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The space was packed with TikTokers who said that the app gave them a voice or helped them expand their small business. Yet, the legislators continued to grill Chew with a barrage of questions.

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After a discussion with Florida Republican Congressman Neal Dunn, Chew said, "Congressman, you're giving me no opportunity to answer the questions, and I reject the characterizations."

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Chew cited content on science and books as examples of how the TikTok algorithm creates a pleasant experience for many consumers.

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“It is our responsibility to remove any offensive stuff posted by bad actors,” Chew acknowledged. “However, the overwhelming experience has been good for our community.”

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Chew arrived ready for every charge he would face from legislators. He made an effort to reassure the committee that TikTok and ByteDance are independent in his opening remarks.

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Chew was adamant about the company's privacy policies: "We feel we are the only company — the only organization — that applies this level of transparency."

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When subsequently questioned about whether TikTok was a Chinese corporation, he responded, "That's not how we see it," pointing out that the platform had offices in Singapore and Los Angeles.

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Republican Debbie Lesko from Arizona questions Chew on whether he thinks the Chinese Communist Party oppresses the Uighur minority in Western China. Chew responds in general about all human rights violations and claims he was there to discuss TikTok.

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Lesko remarked, "You didn't respond to my question."

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According to people familiar with the national security review of the app, the centerpiece of Chew's proposal to allay concerns about Chinese influence — a $1.5 billion investment in US-based data security measures — has already been rejected by US government officials, who are now demanding that ByteDance sell its shares or face a US ban.

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In his prepared remarks, Chew referred to those rumors as "speculation," noted that "conversations with the authorities are ongoing," and stated that TikTok's work to separate and safeguard user data from the US "has proceeded uninterrupted."

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After the hearing, Moody's issued a statement discussing how a ban might affect the share prices of other US social media businesses. Even the notoriously covert Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which hasn't even acknowledged that it's looking into TikTok, issued a statement with a broad caution about data protection.

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According to the statement, "CFIU generally does not comment on transactions." "Generally speaking, some transactions can present data security risks — including giving a foreign person or government access to troves of sensitive personal data belonging to Americans as well as access to intellectual property, source code, or other potentially sensitive information," the report states.

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Chew contrasted TikTok's actions with those of other major internet firms to show how they protect both data security and the safety of young consumers. He called the steps TikTok takes to confirm users' ages and impose limitations on youngsters and teenagers "industry-leading."

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John Sarbanes, a Democrat from Maryland, emphasized that young brains are still not completely mature and cannot compete with TikTok's technology. He stated, "It's not fair competition, the algorithms are on one side of the screen and human brains are on the other side of the screen."

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Although he supports comprehensive data-privacy legislation, like the bill he co-sponsored with McMorris Rodgers last year, TikTok is still responsible, according to New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the committee's leading Democrat. Not just TikTok, but all social media sites, he claimed, are the subject of "broad worries."

With so many Americans already using TikTok, Florida's Darren Soto, a Democrat, declared that "the genie is really out of the bottle." He expressed concern for other American social media businesses as well, saying that this committee should establish stronger regulations for the entire sector.

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Last year, Soto remarked, "We had to pass comprehensive legislation that came out of this committee but eluded us."

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Greg Pence, a Republican from Indiana, slammed the desk and declared, "This is the 32nd hearing we've conducted about privacy and Big Tech." He questioned how much money TikTok makes from the information gathered from his children, grandchildren, and neighbors while pointing at Chew and raising his voice.

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Chew answered quietly, "I respect and understand your viewpoint, but I think most users on TikTok have a pleasant experience."