TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has testified before the US lawmakers and reassured them that TikTok has never shared US user data with the Chinese government and will not do so. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity, according to Chew. He also stated that TikTok has spent over $1.5 billion on data security efforts to protect US data, and once the process is complete, all protected US data will be under the protection of US law and under the control of the US-led security team, making it inaccessible to the Chinese government. The app does not collect precise or approximate GPS information from US users, and Chew has assured that bans are only appropriate when there are no alternatives. Moreover, TikTok has started deleting US user protected data in data centers in Virginia and Singapore this month and expects the process to be completed later this year.
According to Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, the app has never shared US user data with the Chinese government and nor will it ever do so. Chew will testify before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee to reassure US lawmakers amid growing national security concerns regarding the Chinese-owned short video app with over 150 million American users. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is also not owned or controlled by any government or state entity, according to Chew.
TikTok has faced criticism from its US user base and US lawmakers who fear that the app could share user data with China’s government. However, Chew has assured that TikTok has spent over $1.5 billion on “Project Texas,” which includes rigorous data security efforts to protect US data. Once the process is complete, all protected US data will be under the protection of US law and under the control of the US-led security team. As per Chew’s testimony, under this structure, there will be no way for the Chinese government to access or compel access to US data.
Chew’s testimony has also suggested that bans are only appropriate when no alternatives exist. However, Chew maintains that TikTok does have an alternative, stating that TikTok has never shared or received a request to share US user data with the Chinese government and will not honour any such request if it were ever made. Chew’s written testimony has been posted on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.
TikTok has started deleting US user protected data in data centers in Virginia and Singapore this month after routing new US data to the Oracle Cloud last year. The company expects this process to be completed later this year, according to Chew’s testimony.
As per Chew’s testimony, 60% of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Blackrock, General Atlantic, and Sequoia, while the company’s founders own about 20%, and approximately 20% is owned by its employees, including thousands of Americans.
TikTok has over 150 million monthly users in the United States, with the average user being an adult well past college age, as per Chew’s testimony. The US user base accounts for 10% of the app’s global community but represents 25% of the total views worldwide. Furthermore, the current versions of the app do not collect precise or approximate GPS information from US users, according to Chew.
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