WASHINGTON: TikTok’s chief executive faced tough questions on Thursday from lawmakers who are convinced the Chinese-owned short video app should be barred for being a “tool” of the Chinese Communist Party and because it carries content that can harm children’s mental health. CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony before Congress capped a week of actions by the Chinese company aimed at convincing Americans and their lawmakers that the app creates economic value and supports free speech. Instead, members of Congress accused the company of spying and deception, adding to calls to ban the app. TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, was repeatedly hammered in the ongoing hearing where no lawmaker offered any support. Many, who often noted they themselves were parents, talked of a need to rein in the power held by the app over US children.
Overall, lawmakers called Chew’s answers on China and content aimed at children as evasive, with Democratic Representative Tony Cardenas saying Chew was a “good dancer with words” at the top of his comments about Chew’s answers throughout the testimony.
“TikTok could be designed to minimize the harm to kids, but a decision was made to aggressively addict kids in the name of profits,” said Representative Kathy Castor, a Democrat, at the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce committee hearing.
Chew responded to many pointed questions by saying the issues were “complex.” He did not announce any new efforts to safeguard privacy, falling back on explanations of ongoing efforts, which have failed to appease critics. Republicans and Democrats also raised numerous concerns about its potential to threaten US national security by sharing its data with the Chinese government. TikTok has said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on what it calls rigorous data security efforts under the name “Project Texas” that currently has nearly 1,500 full-time employees and is contracted with Oracle Corp to store TikTok’s US user data. It also says it strictly screens content that could harm children. —Reuters
