U.S. lawmakers grill TikTok’s CEO Chew

Democrats and Republicans on a U.S. House committee expressed skepticism on Thursday about TikTok's defense of its popular video-sharing app, as they grilled its CEO, Shou Zi Chew.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on you, manipulate what you see and exploit future generations.

She told the CEO that your platform should be banned during a hearing that featured Chew. Concerns that TikTok's 150 million American users could be shared with the Chinese government are driving bills in Congress that could end up banning the app, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. Chew dealt with that issue directly during the hearing.

The bottom line is this: American data stored on American soil by an American company overseen by American personnel, he told lawmakers. TikTok has dubbed Project Texas, an effort to protect U.S. data. But lawmakers from either side of the aisle didn't sound like they were won over by TikTok s CEO, a native of Singapore who had noted in his opening remarks that his wife had been born in Virginia.

I can't find what you suggested with Project Texas, and this firewall that's being suggested to whoever will be acceptable to me, said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House committee.

Other members of the committee made note of how both parties appeared on the same page.

It might sound funny, but you have in fact been one of the few people to unite this committee, according to Democratic Rep. Tony Cardenas of California, when he had his turn to question Chew.

The Democrats and Republicans agree that they are frustrated with TikTok and that they are upset with TikTok, according to Cardenas.

When Republican Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas questioned Chew during the hearing, the congressman pointed out that China has said it would oppose any forced sale of TikTok.

Despite your assertions to the contrary, China thinks it is in control of Tik Tok and its software. Burgess asked.

Chew said that Tik Tok is not available in mainland China, and that his company makes use of Chinese employees. The CEO didn't offer a yes or no in response to the Texas lawmaker's question.

The Biden administration has told TikTok's Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular video-sharing app or face a ban in the U.S.

The Biden administration supports legislation from Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota that could result in a ban.

Warner said on Wednesday that their bill, the Restrict Act, now has a total of 20 co-sponsors in the Senate, up from 12 when it was introduced earlier this month.

Virginia s senior senator also discounted Chew's testimony before it had even been delivered, saying in a statement that TikTok's lack of transparency, repeated obfuscations and misstatements of fact have severely undermined the credibility of any statements by TikTok employees, including Mr. Chew.