U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), ranking member of the China Select Committee, has expressed his doubts over the veracity of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's recent statements to Congress.
"TikTok did itself no favors on Thursday when CEO Shou Zi Chew gave his testimony," Krishnamoorthi stated in a March 26 Twitter post. "In fact, some of the answers he gave only raised more questions about the enormous existing security risks I've been fighting to address."
Krishnamoorthi was addressing testimony given by Chew to Congress on March 23, when lawmakers questioned the social media app's CEO about rising concerns over TikTok's connection to the China Communist Party (CCP), the app's data-protection policies, and security and privacy risks.
The Biden administration has suggested banning the app in the U.S. if TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., does not divest and sell its interests to an American company, the Associated Press reported in Time on March 15. TikTok is already banned on all federal government devices; in December, Congress passed the "No TikTok on Government Devices" Act, which makes exceptions for the app in specific cases, such as "national security, law enforcement and research purposes."
During Chew's testimony before Congress last month, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed concerns about the app and its Chinese-based owner, ByteDance, including national security threats, data privacy, spreading misinformation and the safety of minors.
Chew attempted to explain how TikTok is safe, according to reporting by the Hill.
“Our approach has never been to dismiss or trivialize any of these concerns,” Chew said, the Hill reports. “We have addressed them with real action.”
Chew said TikTok is addressing data-security concerns with its Project Texas plan, which routes and stores American users' data with Texas-based software company Oracle. The measure is meant to address lawmakers' national-security concerns over the Chinese government's ability to demand access to American data from Chinese-owned ByteDance, which is subject to Chinese laws, the Hill reports.
Lawmakers were skeptical of Project Texas, the testimony shows.
"I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do, and so this idea of Project Texas is simply not acceptable,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), said at the hearing.
Chew was questioned also on issues such as children's safety on the platform, specifically regarding dangerous TikTok challenges and posts emphasizing self-harm and/or suicide, and concerns about TikTok's algorithms recommending harmful content to young users.
“It is unacceptable, sir, that even after knowing all these dangers, you still claim that TikTok is something grand to behold,” Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), said, the Hill reports.
When questioned by lawmakers, Chew did not give his position on the U.S. proposal that ByteDance sell interests to an American company, stating ownership isn't an issue.
“It is a lot about making sure we have Project Texas," Chew said, "making sure that we’re protecting and firewalling U.S. user data from unauthorized foreign access, giving third parties [permission] to come in to have a look at this and making sure that everybody is comfortable.” Chew also stated he couldn't speak on behalf of China regarding its reaction to the sale proposal.
TikTok's spokesperson Maureen Shanahan stated earlier in March that "divestment doesn't solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access," Time reported at the time.
Shanahan instead called for a "transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. user data and systems" to address national security concerns surrounding TikTok's use of data and the possibility of the Chinese government obtaining access to American user data.
Federal Newswire previously reported that America First Policy Institute policy analysts called for a total ban of TikTok with a report that claimed the Chinese Communist Party controls TikTok. AFPI's Adam Savit and Royce Hood said TikTok "serves as an ingenious data-harvesting weapon for the CCP disguised as a social media platform and has become a dominant force in American youth culture." The report found that TikTok "aggressively and surreptitiously collects data" from users.
