Top Man Tik Tok Testifies To US Politicians

TikTok CEO Sho Ji Siew testified before a US congressional committee on March 23. He does so amid growing concerns about Chinese video usage. US politicians, particularly Republicans, fear that TikTok is sharing data with the Chinese government and using the app for propaganda and manipulation.

This is the first time that TikTok’s CEO has appeared before a US Congressional panel. Just before his testimony, in February, a bill to ban the use will be voted on in the United States.

Committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers is demanding more information from TikTok about the app’s impact on young users. “TikTok knowingly allowed the Chinese Communist Party to access US user data. Americans deserve to know how this affects their privacy and the security of their data. He and other board members are concerned about malicious content and sexual exploitation of minors on the platform.

TikTok itself has previously said that it is focusing on the safety of young users and restricting certain features for them. The company has also claimed for some time that users’ data is safe.

This month, TikTok was fined 5 million euros by French authorities. According to the French data protection watchdog, it was so difficult for users to refuse cookies that it was not allowed. TikTok does not adequately inform website visitors about cookies.