TikTok is a tool of the Chinese Communist Party, US congressmen are convinced. Not even TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew could change her mind. At the hearing, which lasted several hours, he rarely spoke.
It wasn’t an easy task, and he failed: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had to face the US Congress and their questions on Thursday night (our time). And in doing so, nothing less than the future of TikTok in the US is at stake. The deputies’ position was clear: we trust TikTok, but above all we don’t trust the People’s Republic of China. The former Goldman Sachs manager and current CEO of the popular video platform, which has already captivated half of the American population, was not concerned with restoring trust between the US and China, but with the app’s existence. But one thing is clear to lawmakers: TikTok is a tool of the Chinese Communist Party.
Chew answered lawmakers’ questions in a multi-hour marathon and did his best to convince them that TikTok operates responsibly, within the law and independently of the Chinese government. “Let me be clear: ByteDance is not an agent for China or any other country,” he said in his prepared statement. He defended TikTok’s privacy practices, saying they are in line with those of other social media platforms, adding that in many cases the app collects less data than its competitors. “There are over 150 million Americans who love our platform and we know we have a responsibility to protect them,” said Chew.
One thing is certain: the deputies did not want to hear his statements. They forced him to wear a corset of yes or no questions. If the manager tried to answer in more detail, he was interrupted. In many cases, MPs answered their own questions.
Mobilization plays into the hands of Congress
Other heads of social media platforms also had to face this procedure. These include Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google. Hearings like this are often presented as a precursor to strict regulation, but in the United States they are mostly a substitute for it. So typically the bosses are summoned before the US Congress, attacked, accused and berated for several hours. Most of the time, they didn’t have to fear the consequences. But unlike usual, TikTok cannot expect any political support. Democrats and Republicans agree: Chinese ownership is unsustainable. The audience obviously could not and should not change this attitude.
On Tuesday, Shou Zi Chew released a video, of course on TikTok, to mobilize the 150 million American users. To encourage them to act and persuade their MPs to vote against the ban. The appeal did not go unnoticed even in the United States Congress and serves as a motto for the politicians’ arguments. The app wants to influence the US population. Chew couldn’t do anything about it. He also worries that the company’s owner, ByteDance, could be forced by the Chinese government to monitor Americans or try to use its algorithms to influence them by promoting pro-Chinese or anti-American content.
What is the next?
The US government plans to force the sale, as it did under Donald Trump. So the app should no longer be Chinese in the future, but in the hands of Americans. Chew is determined to avoid this: “Divestment does not address the fundamental concerns I heard, as a change in ownership would not impose new restrictions on data flow or access.” The issue of security is not one of nationality. Instead, you need to create common standards that apply equally to all companies.
Chew’s point is valid: national privacy legislation would do more to stop the misuse of Americans’ data than openly selling or banning it. But in the case of TikTok, Chinese ownership would remain an issue for the US government. This could only be resolved through a sale. And politicians are buying into it, despite the lack of evidence that China’s government is directly influencing TikTok. Data security initiatives such as “Project Texas” (USA) and “Project Clover” (Europe) are also not convincing: “I still believe that the communist government in Beijing will control and influence what you do”, said the Democratic deputy. Frank Pallone Jr. The company’s proposed solution, the data silo initiative, which it calls “Project Texas”, is “simply unacceptable”.
TikTok is preparing for a possible ban
“Shou was prepared to answer congressional questions, but unfortunately the day was dominated by political arrogance that failed to productively address the real solutions already addressed by Project Texas, nor the youth safety issues across the industry,” he said. TikTok in a subsequent statement. . According to TikTok, no consideration was given to the 150 million users and five million businesses that rely on TikTok.
A corresponding legislative proposal for a possible ban on TikTok is now available. But the idea of a nationwide ban still faces major legal hurdles. And it also has to contend with users, the American population, who are probably reluctant to go without TikTok. Often also for economic reasons, because after all, the existence of at least five million people is based on TikTok, as the company announced. Additionally, previous attempts to ban TikTok under the Trump administration were blocked in court, including over free speech concerns.
Germany doesn’t want a ban on TikTok
In the debate over the short video service Tiktok, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sees no basis for a blanket ban on the app in Germany. However, it needs to be further clarified that Tiktok is a company from which “data can, of course, flow,” Faeser, an SPD politician, said on Wednesday (local time) in Washington. In Austria, a decision is not yet in sight. The Home Office is currently examining a possible ban. However, this mainly refers to the use of the app on service devices by politicians and government officials.