With a potential US ban looming, TikTok is scrambling to reassure US regulators that it’s going to adjust to all necessities round transparency, and consumer knowledge protections, which is able to see TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testify earlier than the Home Power and Commerce Committee on March twenty third, in his first-ever look earlier than a Congressional committee.
As reported by Axios:
“Chew might be requested about TikTok’s client privateness and knowledge safety practices, the platforms’ affect on children, and their relationship with the Chinese language Communist Get together.”
The latter being the principle sticking level. Proper now, TikTok is underneath extra stress than ever, amid ongoing fears round how the app may very well be utilized as a spying system by the Chinese language Authorities, if the CCP have been to so select.
These fears stem from China’s strict cybersecurity laws, which stipulate that any Chinese language-owned firm must share inside knowledge, together with info on customers, on request from CCP officers. There’s no proof to counsel that the CCP has made any such request of TikTok at this stage, however a latest case noticed officers from TikTok proprietor ByteDance use the app to spy on US journalists whom it suspected of assembly with ByteDance staff.
That’s additional elevated scrutiny of the app, whereas on the identical time, a rising variety of US state officers are banning TikTok on government-owned units as a result of spying considerations.
And the scenario may very well be set to get even worse for TikTok within the coming weeks.
Final week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley mentioned that he would quickly introduce a brand new invoice calling for a full ban of TikTok nationwide. Hawley has the assist of a number of influential senators in his push, which is able to as soon as once more ramp up stress on the app, and will certainly see it face expulsion from the US earlier than the yr is out.
Which might be a devastating blow for ByeDance. TikTok is vastly common within the US, and gives huge income potential – whereas you can even think about that if the US bans the app, different western areas will a minimum of contemplate following go well with.
Which all makes Shou Zi Chew’s upcoming look extra urgent, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he responds to questions on TikTok’s processes and plans within the March twenty third look.
That might effectively be the inflection level, the place we get a clearer indication of the app’s future within the US.
Until then, TikTok will proceed to push forward with its $1.5 billion US reformation plan, which incorporates storing US consumer knowledge on Oracle servers within the US.
