We are NOT controlled by China, TikTok CEO tells Congress

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chairman of House Energy and Commerce, fired at Shou Zi Chew’s TikTok at the start of the high-profile hearing, telling the CEO, “We don’t trust TikTok to ever embrace American values.”

“TikTok is watching us all and the Chinese Communist Party can use this as a tool,” said Rodgers, R-Wash.

“I expect you to say anything today to avoid this outcome, but you are 100% responsible for everything TikTok does,” she told Chew.

“The facts show that byte dance is obligatory to the CCP,” Rodgers said.

Ranking Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone, DN.J., supported Rodgers’ attacks.

“I agree with most of what you said,” he told her.

However, Pallone seemed less inclined to ditch the Chinese video-sharing app altogether. He said TikTok “threatens privacy and security… in its current form.”

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will spend a grueling 4.5 hours questioning a company that largely believes its app spews propaganda and poses a risk to national security.

He started by denying any ties between TikTok and the Chinese government.

“Let me say this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country.”

Singapore-born Chew made four promises to the press as he walked into the hearing room: “We will prioritize safety. Firewall for US data, protection against unwanted foreign access. Commitment to keep the app free. And fourthly, focus on transparency.’

Pallone pressed Chew if he could commit not to sell any data. “I believe we don’t sell data to any data broker,” Chew said.

Asked for a firm commitment that the company would not and will not do this, Chew said, “I can contact you for the details.”

At one point, Rep. Richard Hudson, RN.C. asked the CEO how much money he gets paid. “I prefer to keep my compensation private,” he said.

Rodgers pressed Chew about reports that TikTok is removing content at the request of the CCP.

“Were moderation tools used to remove content on TikTok related to the Uyghur Genocide?” she asked.

We don’t remove that kind of content. TikTok is a place of freedom of expression,” Chew said.

She then asked him if TikTok is removing content related to the Tiananmen Square massacre. “That kind of content is on the platform,” Chew said.

“I will remind you that making false or misleading statements to Congress is a federal crime,” Rodgers said.

“I understand,” he said.

Pallone asked Chew to commit to not collecting location or health data, but he evaded the question.

“The problem here is that you’re trying to give the impression that you’re leaving Beijing, the Communist Party, but the commitments we’d try to achieve those goals just weren’t made,” Pallone told Chew.

Rodgers called not only for a ban on TikTok, but also for a bigger data privacy law.

“TikTok is a weapon of the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you, manipulate what you see and exploit it for future generations,” she said.

“A ban is just a short-term way to deal with TikTok. And a data privacy bill is the only way to stop [a] TikTok will never happen again in the United States.”

At the hearing, Chew promoted Project Texas, TikTok’s plan in the making to address America’s security and privacy concerns. But even Pallone called Project Texas “unacceptable.”

Chew told the committee that employees of Douyin, the Chinese TikTok equivalent, currently have access to US user data in China. He said that will change under Project Texas.

Critics from both sides have raised concerns that it poses a threat to national security and data privacy, as parent company ByteDance is effectively controlled by the Chinese government.

The app has few supporters in Congress despite the fact that 150 million Americans regularly use the platform.

Even President Biden has supported the bipartisan RESTRICT bill, which would allow his Commerce Department to ban foreign tech companies and encourage the intelligence community to release findings related to surveillance.

A number of other bipartisan bills floating around could ban the app outright.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress late last year that the Chinese government could use it to “verify the data collection of millions of users or check the recommendation algorithm, which can be used for influence operations.”

He also warned that it could be used to hijack other software on the phone, potentially allowing it to collect and send more data.

In December, Biden signed a bipartisan bill to ban the app on government devices. His administration has threatened to ban the app if the company’s Chinese owners don’t sell their shares.