TikTok CEO will Testify Before Congress in March

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, will be testifying before the House Energy Commerce Committee at a hearing in March 2023. Chew will be addressing the social media app’s security and privacy practices as well as the ties it has to China.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers made the announcement on Monday. “… ByteDance-owned TikTok has knowingly allowed the ability for the Chinese Communist Party to access American user data. Americans deserve to know how these actions impact their privacy and data security, as well as what actions TikTok is taking to keep our kids safe from online and offline harms,” she stated. “It is now time to continue the committee’s efforts to hold Big Tech accountable by bringing TikTok before the committee to provide complete and honest answers for people.” 

Fears over TikTok’s national security and privacy implications for users have recently been rising. According to CNBC, lawmakers banned TikTok on all government devices in a year-end legislative package. Many governors have also banned the app on state-issued devices and networks. Some college campuses followed suit and banned it from university-owned devices and networks, NBC reported.

A spokesperson for TikTok claimed in a statement they “welcome the opportunity to set the record straight about TikTok, ByteDance, and the commitments we are making to address concerns about U.S. national security before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.”

The company also claims “there is no truth” to the claims made by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.