TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to appear before Congress in March to answer questions from lawmakers about US user safety and security on the popular video app, being the first indicated by The Wall Street Journal.
The Energy and Trade Committee confirmed the hearing in a press release Monday announcing that the TikTok chief would testify on March 23. TikTok chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas testified before a congressional committee last September, but this upcoming hearing will mark the first time a company chief executive has been dragged to Capitol Hill to be questioned.
“Big Tech has increasingly become a destructive force in American society. The Energy and Commerce Committee has been at the forefront of asking Big Tech CEOs — from Facebook to Twitter to Google — to hold themselves accountable for the actions of their companies,” said Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in a statement Monday. statement. “These efforts will continue with TikTok. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, knowingly allowed the Chinese Communist Party to access US user data.”
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The announcement comes weeks after Republicans officially took over as the majority party in the House. They’ve wasted little time scrutinizing the Chinese app that touts more than 80 million monthly active users in the US, citing the potential risk to national security.
TikTok is mired in years of negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment to keep its app running in the US. But in Dec, The Wall Street Journal reported that talks between the app and government officials had stalled, delaying a possible deal.
If the government can’t strike a deal with TikTok in the coming months, lawmakers can come up with solutions on their own. TikTok’s growing dominance in the tech space has long been a bipartisan issue that could force Republicans and Democrats to work together over the next two years to resolve it through legislation. Last week, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) the legislation introduced by Chinese hawk Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) who would effectively ban TikTok nationwide.
Earlier this month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, reportedly considered introducing a bill to ban a broader “category of applications” that could be applied to other apps that pose security threats. to entail, according to Axios.
A growing number of states and federal agencies have banned downloading TikTok on government devices in recent months, but Congress has not yet agreed on a ban that would affect consumers. But recent reports that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, tracked the locations of American journalists with data the app has provided lawmakers with fresh ammunition to attack the company.
“Americans deserve to know how these actions affect their privacy and data security, and what actions TikTok is taking to protect our children from online and offline harm,” Rodgers said in a statement Monday. “We have made our concerns clear with TikTok. It is now time to continue the committee’s efforts to hold Big Tech accountable by bringing TikTok before the committee to give people full and honest answers.”
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.