TikTok’s CEO faces bipartisan skepticism in first Congressional hearing on security concerns

The hearing comes as governments all over the world search to ban TikTok from authorities units to curb what officers say is a nationwide security menace. Meanwhile, some lawmakers in the U.S. have proposed an outright ban on TikTok, which TikTok and numerous different teams have stated would hurt the rising variety of people and companies that rely on it. The Biden administration has even known as on ByteDance to promote TikTok to a U.S. firm — a requirement China oppposes — however Chew stated that wouldn’t resolve knowledge privateness concerns that proceed to plague many social networks.

“We need to address the problem of privacy,” Chew stated. “I don’t think ownership is the issue here. With a lot of respect, American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security. I mean, look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. Just one example.”

Chew — who grew to become TikTok’s CEO in 2021 — additionally tried to reassure lawmakers that TikTok isn’t as related to the Chinese authorities as some recommend. For instance, he touted TikTok’s “Project Texas,” which features a $1.5 billion plan to overtake the app’s knowledge storage to place all U.S. consumer knowledge below the safety of U.S. regulation. Other updates would come with new third-party oversight of the app’s infrastructure and different adjustments by way of a partnership with Oracle. He additionally stated TikTok’s content material moderation and data-privacy practices had been no totally different than different social networks, arguing that he hasn’t “heard any good reason why this doesn’t work.”

There had been additionally loads of questions that Chew averted instantly answering. For instance, he promised to comply with up when requested whether or not TikTok ought to be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. (The controversial regulation was additionally the subject of two latest instances in entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court associated to Twitter and Google.) Chew additionally promised to later present extra particulars about whether or not TikTok collects geolocation knowledge, what proportion of income is held by TikTok’s father or mother firm and different questions in regards to the app’s ties with China. When pressed to supply specifics about who helped him put together for the hearing, he stated his cellphone was “full of well-wishes” forward of the high-profile testimony.

Both Republicans and Democrats famous how TikTok concerns have transcended political events greater than two years after former U.S. President Donald Trump initially sought to ban the app. During Thursday’s hearing, one lawmaker identified that Congress has already had dozens of hearings about “privacy and big tech.” Several others stated the U.S. must move a nationwide knowledge privateness regulation, which handed by way of a committee final yr however failed to realize further traction. During her 5 minutes of questioning, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester stated she “came here hoping to get answers.” However, she stated her concerns have grown.

“We’re upset with TikTok and yes, you keep mentioning that there are industry issues that not only TikTok faces,” stated U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie. “You remind me a lot of Mark Zuckerberg. When he came here, I said to my staff [that] he reminds me of Fred Astaire — a good dancer with words — and you are doing the same today.”

When requested a number of instances if TikTok sells its knowledge, Chew appeared to dodge the query. In one occasion, he stated the app doesn’t promote knowledge to anybody. When responding to a different query, he stated “I believe we don’t sell data to data brokers.” When requested if GPS knowledge is used for serving adverts, he supplied to “check on the details.” Chew additionally stated he’d comply with up with a solution about how a lot income comes from promoting directed at children between the ages of 13 and 17, and added that TikTok doesn’t serve adverts to kids youthful than that.

Reaction to Chew’s testimony

Beyond the partitions of Congress, civil and digital rights teams have been organizing in opposition to a possible TikTok ban. For instance, the group Fight For The Future created a “DontBanTikTok” marketing campaign that includes numerous TikTok creators. And in a separate letter to Congress, greater than a dozen teams together with the American Civil Liberties Union argued {that a} TikTok ban would hurt digital freedoms.

“We should be able to use the internet and not have to hop from platform to platform because of the whims of Congress,” Phillips stated.

TikTok’s promoting practices aren’t any extra egregious than different social platforms, in response to Bonnie Patten, CEO of the watchdog group Truth In Advertising. However, she stated her group has discovered cases of promoting on the platform that don’t adhere to TikTok’s personal phrases and circumstances. For instance, she talked about discovering a “multitude” of non-disclosed promoting from influencers and numerous instances of multilevel advertising and marketing schemes regardless of TikTok’s ban on them.

“From a marketing standpoint, the issues that TikTok raises are no different than the issues that are being raised on Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat for that matter,” Patten stated. “We’re seeing the same deceptive marketing that negatively impacts kids. The big difference is who owns it.”

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