TikTok CEO to Confer with European Union Officials

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to meet with European Union officials and regulators in Brussels next week, as the app faces heightened scrutiny over its Chinese ownership.

Mr. Chew is scheduled to meet with Margrethe Vestager, the executive vice president of the European Commission, on Tuesday. He also plans to meet with Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Vice President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Vestager said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the company was preparing to comply with new EU regulations on internet safety and fair competition among tech companies. She added that the EU plans to meet with other tech companies as well, and that TikTok had requested the meeting with Ms. Vestager.

The EU is concerned about the protection of personal data on TikTok and other apps, a spokesman for the EU's executive arm said Friday. A TikTok spokesman declined to comment.

The European Union has played a significant role in shaping new regulation related to the technology industry. Brussels has drafted and enforced rules that, while applicable in Europe, have been mirrored by other jurisdictions. Given the EU’s large market, many tech companies have altered their global operations to align with new European rules.

Brussels has been targeting Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook, Apple and Amazon over the years on issues such as privacy, antitrust and taxes.

TikTok has also been scrutinized by European authorities. In 2021, a European consumer organization alleged that TikTok was breaking consumer rules, including failing to protect children from inappropriate content. This triggered a dialogue between EU and national consumer-protection authorities and TikTok. Mr. Reynders said last year that TikTok addressed the concerns, but that the EU would continue to monitor the situation.

Brussels has been less hawkish on TikTok than Washington. Some Biden administration officials are pushing for a forced sale of TikTok to an American company, separating it from its owner, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. The federal government recently banned TikTok on government-owned devices, and a bipartisan group of Congress members have introduced a broader bill to ban TikTok from operating in the U.S.

U.S. officials have warned that the Chinese government could order TikTok to hand over data on its tens of millions of American users, or to influence the videos they see. TikTok has said it would refuse such a request. Beijing has accused the U.S. of spreading misinformation about TikTok.