TikTok ban – as it happened: CEO Shou Chew says social media apps should be banned from government devices

TikTok is facing a complete ban in the US over fears that China is using the app as a covert tool for spying and spreading propaganda

TikTok CEO Shou Chew says that no government devices should have social media apps on them.

“I disagree with that characterisation. I think the government devices should have no social media apps to be honest, not just targeted at us,” he told Rep John Joyce, from Pennsylvania during his testimony before Congress on Thursday.

TikTok is facing a complete ban in the US over fears that China is using the app as a covert tool for spying and spreading propaganda.

Mr Chew testified before Congress, with members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee raising their concerns about how much access the Chinese government has to user data, as well as how much influence the Chinese Communist Party has over it.

TikTok has consistently denied such allegations, though this has not stopped the US and other countries from banning the app from government and military-issued devices.

Some countries like India have even issued a nationwide ban of TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps as a result of national security worries.

With more than 150 million TikTok users in the US, many will be following Thursday’s proceedings closely to see if Biden’s administration follows India by banning TikTok.

You can follow all the latest news and updates in our live coverage here.

TikTok ban key points

• Who is TikTok CEO Shou Chew?
• TikTok ban in numbers
• TikTok CEO says government devices ‘should have no social media apps'

[23 March 2023 16:15 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

TikTok ban latest: Congressman asks if app uses ‘home WiFI'

While we wait for the session to resume, here’s a clip of Congressman Richard Hudson asking the TikTok CEO whether the app accesses other devices when it connects to a user’s home WiFi network.

[23 March 2023 16:21 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

TikTok ban latest: Congressman brings up ‘life and death issues’ at stake

We’re back underway with five minutes of questions from Congressman Cardenas from California, who addresses the “life and death issues” at stake.

He asks about the death threat to Chairwoman Rodgers that was up for 41 days, and only taken down when it was brought to Mr Chew’s attention during the hearing.

The TikTok CEO responds: “It goes to show the enormous challenge that we have to make sure that although the vast majority of users come for a good experience, we need to make sure that bad actors don’t pose violative content.”

[23 March 2023 16:42 · Graeme Massie]

Rep Marc Veasey calls TikTok ‘world’s most powerful and extensive propaganda machine’

Rep Marc Veasey, a Democrat from Texas, called TikTok “the world’s most powerful and extensive propaganda machine” and raised concerns about his 16-year-old son’s interest in the app.

“Teens don’t want to be on Facebook. They want your platform,” he said, adding that CEO Shou Chew’s “evasiveness” during the hearing “disturbs me”.

[23 March 2023 17:28 · Graeme Massie]

Congresswoman asks for TikTok to do more on eating disorder content

Kimberly Merle Schrier, a congresswoman from Washington, asks what TikTok has done to make itself less addictive for teenagers.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew said that they had implemented a 60-minute opt-out for children and that there was a control for parents to set a time limit.

“People come to our platform for a very informative experience,” he told her.

The politician, a trained paediatrician, hit back saying that “20 per cent” of material on the app was “misinformation” and a lot of content glorified eating disorders.

“Anything that glorifies eating disorders we remove from our platform,” he told her.

“I share your concerns and I commit to doing more,” he told her

[23 March 2023 17:58 · Graeme Massie]

Committee has now gone into recess

(AP)

[23 March 2023 19:29 · Graeme Massie]

Dan Crenshaw clashes with TikTok CEO over CCP

Dan Crenshaw, Texas, asked TikTok CEO Shou Chew if the company was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

“No,” the executive told him as Mr Crenshaw said he disagreed with that position.

He then told Mr Chew that “many of your colleagues at ByteDance” were “card-carrying members” of the Chinese Communist Party.

“I work for TikTok. I can’t speak for ByteDance,” Mr Chew told him.

Mr Crenshaw said that TikTok was owned by ByteDance and that the Chinese government could get ByteDance to do whatever it wanted.

The politician then said that the CCP could insist on creating an algorithm to promote Chinese interests.

[23 March 2023 19:30 · Graeme Massie]

Committee has now adjourned

[23 March 2023 19:40 · Graeme Massie]

Dan Crenshaw attacks TikTok’s links to China

To end the hearing Mr Crenshaw, a Republican from Texas, warned American TikTok users about why politicians were concerned about the company’s influence.

“You may not care that your data is being accessed now but it will be one day when you do care about it, and here’s the real problem: with data comes power they can choose what you see and how you see it, they can make you believe things that are not true...”he told the hearing.

And he added: The long-term goal of the Chinese Communist Party is the demise of American power, and that starts with our youth. “

[23 March 2023 21:01 · Graeme Massie]

How can TikTok avoid a ban?

The US government is reportedly demanding that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance sells its US business in order to avoid a complete ban.

If not, a bill that the Biden administration is currently trying to pass would allow the secretary of Commerce to prevent any foreign companies operating in the US if they are deemed to pose a threat to national security.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” TikTok CEO Shou Chew will say during his testimony on Thursday.

His pre-submitted written statement claims: “TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, US user data with the Chinese government. Nor would TikTok honour such a request if one were ever made.”

He will also defend TikTok’s handling of US user data by detailing the $1.5 billion ‘Project Texas’. The process involves hosting and routing all US data through the Oracle Cloud.

[23 March 2023 22:03 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban latest: UK parliament blocks app

While the US mulls a nationwide TikTok ban, the UK has announced that the app will be blocked from “all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”, pointing to concerns about security.

“Cyber security is a top priority for Parliament, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents,” a spokesperson said.

“Following the Government’s decision to ban TikTok from Government devices, the commissions of both the House of Commons and Lords have decided that TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network.”

You can read the full story from Andrew Griffin here: