CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, will be facing a Congressional committee on Thursday to address concerns over data security and user safety.
The popular video-sharing app has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials due to its Chinese ownership and the wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.
Chew plans to deny allegations that TikTok is a national security risk and emphasize the company’s prioritization of user safety.
TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins and has proposed a $1.5 billion plan called Project Texas to route all U.S. user data to domestic servers owned by Oracle.
However, a nationwide ban on the app would be unprecedented and it remains unclear how the government would enforce it.
Some experts suggest that officials could force Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores or block access to TikTok’s infrastructure and data.
While some countries have already banned TikTok from devices issued to government employees, a nationwide ban in the U.S. might be too extreme and could lead to further escalation in the ongoing trade and technology battle between China and the U.S.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
