With a potential US ban looming, TikTok is scrambling to reassure US regulators that it’s going to adjust to all necessities round transparency, and person knowledge protections, which is able to see TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testify earlier than the Home Vitality and Commerce Committee on March twenty third, in his first-ever look earlier than a Congressional committee.
As reported by Axios:
“Chew can be requested about TikTok’s shopper privateness and knowledge safety practices, the platforms’ impression on youngsters, and their relationship with the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.”
The latter being the primary sticking level. Proper now, TikTok is underneath extra strain than ever, amid ongoing fears round how the app could possibly be utilized as a spying system by the Chinese language Authorities, if the CCP had been to so select.
These fears stem from China’s strict cybersecurity regulations, which stipulate that any Chinese language-owned firm must share inner knowledge, together with data on customers, on request from CCP officers. There’s no proof to counsel that the CCP has made any such request of TikTok at this stage, however a latest case noticed officers from TikTok proprietor ByteDance use the app to spy on US journalists whom it suspected of assembly with ByteDance workers.
That’s additional elevated scrutiny of the app, whereas on the identical time, a rising variety of US state officers are banning TikTok on government-owned devices as a consequence of spying issues.
And the scenario could possibly be set to get even worse for TikTok within the coming weeks.
Final week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley mentioned that he would quickly introduce a new bill calling for a full ban of TikTok nationwide. Hawley has the assist of a number of influential senators in his push, which is able to as soon as once more ramp up strain on the app, and will certainly see it face expulsion from the US earlier than the 12 months is out.
Which might be a devastating blow for ByeDance. TikTok is massively common within the US, and presents large income potential – whereas it’s also possible to think about that if the US bans the app, different western areas will at the very least contemplate following go well with.
Which all makes Shou Zi Chew’s upcoming look extra urgent, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he responds to questions on TikTok’s processes and plans within the March twenty third look.
That would nicely be the inflection level, the place we get a clearer indication of the app’s future within the US.
Until then, TikTok will proceed to push forward with its $1.5 billion US reformation plan, which incorporates storing US person knowledge on Oracle servers within the US.
