TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before lawmakers on Thursday that the Chinese-owned app would never share US user data with the Chinese government. The app, which has over 150 million American users, has faced growing concerns over national security.
Chew’s written testimony says that TikTok has never shared or received a request to share US user data with the Chinese government. Additionally, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity.
Critics fear that TikTok’s US user data could be passed on to China’s government by the app, prompting calls to ban it. The Biden administration demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stake in the app or it could face a US ban.
However, Chew’s testimony argues that bans are only appropriate when there are no alternatives and that TikTok offers an alternative. The company has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts under the name “Project Texas”.
Chew says that protected US data will be under the protection of US law and control of the US-led security team. Under this structure, the Chinese government would have no way to access or compel access to it.
TikTok is deleting US user-protected data in data centers in Virginia and Singapore after routing new US data to the Oracle Cloud last year. Chew’s testimony says that the company expects this process to be completed later this year.
60% of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors, 20% by the company’s founders, and 20% by its employees, including thousands of Americans. The average TikTok user today is an adult well past college age.
TikTok said on Monday that more than 150 million people in the United States use TikTok on a monthly basis. Users in the United States represent 10% of TikTok’s global community but account for 25% of the total views around the world.
Chew’s testimony also notes that current versions of the TikTok app do not collect precise or approximate GPS information from US users. Chew also says that TikTok would not honor a request from the Chinese government to share US user data.
For the latest tech news, follow Techbar Nepal on Facebook, and Instagram.
For Digital Products and Services: Maurisys Software.
