TikTok CEO calls India ban ‘hypothetical’ in confrontation with US Congress | World News

TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi testifies before US Congress Amid growing security concerns and the potential influence of the Chinese government on the company.

Zhou faced hostile questioning by the House Energy and Commerce Committee as he danced his words to prove the social media giant was taking “real action” to address national security issues come from America.

During the four-hour hearing, the TikTok app owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance has been insisting that it will not share data with the Chinese government, nor will it use its 150 million users in the United States. Share their data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

U.S. lawmaker Debbie Lesco cited in her questioning that India and other countries have recently banned TikTok in some form.

Also read: Did Tiktok ever share US data with China? The CEO’s “clear” answer was…

“This (TikTok) is a tool that is ultimately controlled by the Chinese government and is calling out Mr. Chew on a national security issue, how could all these countries and our FBI director be wrong?” Lescoe asked.

“I think a lot of the risks pointed out are hypothetical and theoretical risks. I don’t see any evidence,” Zhou responded.

The Congresswoman once again reiterated and emphasized India’s ban. “India banned TikTok in 2020. On March 21, a Forbes article revealed how the data of Indian citizens using TikTok was still accessible to employees of the company and its Beijing-based parent company. A current TikTok employees told Forbes that almost anyone with basic access to the company’s tools can easily look up any user’s recent contacts and other sensitive information,” Lesko told her colleagues.

Also read: TikTok ramps up PR drive ahead of CEO Capitol Hill testimony

“This is a recent article; I’ve asked my team to look into it. We have strict data access protocols. There’s no such thing as anyone having access to these tools. So, I disagree with a lot of the conclusions,” Chew responded .

India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including messaging app WeChat, nationwide in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the LAC that killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens more. The companies were given the opportunity to answer questions about the privacy and security requirements, but the ban takes effect permanently in January 2021.

“You know damn well you can’t protect the data and security of this committee or the 150 million users of your app because it’s an extension of the CCP,” Florida legislator Kat Cammack said in a still The threatening video that was played told Chew that the platform was posted more than a month after it was released, despite community guidelines prohibiting violence or threats.

During a congressional hearing under Republican Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, TikTok’s chief was asked that he could not be “100% sure” that Beijing hadn’t influenced parts of the app. Chew said the company is committed to firewalling U.S. user data from “all unwanted foreign access” and will keep content “free from any manipulation by any government.”

Another congressman from New Jersey said he did not believe TikTok’s safety plan would work. “I still believe that the Communist government in Beijing will still control and have the ability to influence your behavior,” he said, pushing back against what he said was TikTok’s attempt to paint itself as “a benign company that only provides public services.” …I don’t buy it. “

Hours before the hearing, China repeatedly said it would not oppose any forced sale of TikTok, and its Commerce Ministry said any sale would involve the export of Chinese technology and must be approved by the Chinese government.

TikTok is already banned from federal government equipment, including military equipment, and a growing number of US states are banning its use on state government equipment.