The committee chairman said the parent company “is beholden to the CCP.“
The CEO of the video app, TikTok, appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Thursday. Shou Zi Chew was questioned by Committee Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who said, “ByteDance [the TikTok parent company] is beholden to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], and ByteDance and TikTok are one and the same. When you celebrate the 150 million American users on TikTok, it emphasizes the urgency for Congress to act… that is 150 million Americans that the CCP can collect sensitive information on and control what we ultimately see, hear, and believe.”
Shou said his company is located in America, has a majority of Americans on its board, and said, “I have seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to [U.S. user] data.”
He emphasized during the hearing that the app is no threat to Americans, although he did not answer inquiries about his compensation and company revenue. U.S. data he said is hosted in part with Oracle where it is firewalled from access from overseas. He stated that all data will soon be with Oracle.
U.S. intelligence officials and others say Chinese law requires any Chinese company to share its data with the government.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers as she heads her committee.
- For members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to be prudent in their inquiry into the risks TikTok presents to Americans’ privacy.
Sources: Axios, The Hill
