TikTok CEO warns against U.S. ban

TikTok went on a counter offensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content, as its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban on the Chinese-owned video sharing app.

CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear before U.S. congressional lawmakers on Thursday, who will grill him about the company's privacy and data-security practices and relationship with the Chinese government.

The hearing comes at a pivotal moment for the company after lawmakers introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration's authority to enact a U.S. ban on the app, which the CEO said more than 150 million Americans use, according to a TikTok video.

Some politicians are talking about the banning of TikTok. Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you, said Chew, who was casually in jeans and blue hoodie, with the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in the background.

He said that he'll be testifying before Congress this week to share all that we're doing to protect Americans using the app.

TikTok is being banned in Europe and Asia-Pacific, where governments have banned it from devices used for official business because it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy, or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

There is no evidence to suggest that this has happened or that TikTok has turned over user data to the Chinese government, as some critics have argued it would do.

Norway and the Netherlands have warned that apps like TikTok shouldn't be installed on phones issued to government employees, both citing security or intelligence agencies.

Norway's justice ministry said that there is a high risk if TikTok or Telegram are installed on devices that have access to internal digital infrastructure or services.

TikTok also rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users in a reorganized set of community guidelines that include eight principles to guide content moderation decisions.

Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok's global head of product policy, said these principles are based on our commitment to uphold human rights and aligned with international legal frameworks.

She said that TikTok strives to be fair, protect human dignity and balance freedom of expression with preventing harm.

The guidelines, which took effect April 21, were repackaged from TikTok's existing rules with additional details and explanations.

There are additional details about its restrictions on deepfakes, also known as synthetic media created by artificial intelligence technology. TikTok states more clearly its policy by saying all deepfakes or manipulated content that show realistic scenes must be labeled to indicate they are fake or altered in some way.

TikTok had previously banned deepfakes that mislead viewers about real-world events and cause harm. Its updated guidelines say deepfakes of private figures and young people are not allowed.

Deepfakes of public figures are OK in certain contexts, such as for artistic or educational content, but not for political or commercial endorsements.