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 23:05 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban latest: Boss declines to guarantee that China cannot decide what shows in app

During questioning from Chair Rodgers, the TikTok CEO failed to confirm “100 per cent” that the Chinese Communist Party would not be able to influence parts of the app.

You can read the full story from The Independent’s Andrew Griffin here:

[24 March 2023 00:04 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban latest: CEO says app provides ‘unprecedented transparency'

Shou Chew claims TikTok is going further than any other major social media app to protect the data of its users.

The centerpiece of our work is called Project Texas. Project Texas is an unprecedented initiative dedicated to safeguarding both U.S. user data and U.S. national security interests. This initiative addresses key issues of corporate governance, content recommendation and moderation, data security, and system access. It is a comprehensive package of measures with layers of independent oversight to protect against backdoors into TikTok that could be used to manipulate the platform or access U.S. user protected data. Project Texas puts the concepts of transparency and accountability into action by addressing national security concerns head-on with concrete, measurable solutions. Project Texas is designed to introduce layers of transparency and vetting that are commonly used for defense contractors but are unheard of for consumer platforms.

Shou Chew, TikTok CEO

[24 March 2023 01:02 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban: Charting the app’s controversial rise to the top

TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world last year, beating its closest rival by more than 100 million downloads.

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This comes despite a complete ban of TikTok being imposed in India in 2020, where close to 200 million people used the app. Other countries have also imposed bans and partial bans, including Europe and US, as this map shows:

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You can see all the charts and read the full story of TikTok’s controversial rise to the top here:

[24 March 2023 02:05 · Graeme Massie]

Who is TikTok CEO Shou Chew

TikTok CEO Shou Chew doesn’t have long to wait before he appears before Congress at 10am local time (2pm GMT) today.

He has already posted a TikTok asking US users what they want their elected representatives to know about “what you love” about TikTok.

“I’ll be testifying before Congress this week to share all that we’re doing to protect Americans using the app and deliver on our mission to inspire creativity and to bring joy,” he said in the post published to TikTok’s main account.

His own account has been remarkably quiet considering he’s the boss of the app, having posted less than a couple of dozen times in its history. His low profile is in keeping with his public persona, which he has managed to keep extremely private compared to the heads of other tech giants.

There’s only six sentences on his Wikipedia page, but if you want to find out more you can read this:

[24 March 2023 03:08 · Graeme Massie]

How would a TikTok ban in the US actually work?

The Biden administration is currently in the proces of trying to pass the RESTRICT ACT, which lawyers say would allow the US government to circumvent speech protections embedded in existing law.

But how would a nationwide TikTok ban actually be implemented?

US officials are yet to give any firm details about how a total ban in the US would actually be implemented, but it would likely involve Apple and Google removing it from their app stores and internet service providers blocking access to the site.

There are always ways around such bans – most likely any VPN would be able to circumvent any restrictions – but when the same thing happened in India, most users just moved to copycat short-form content set up by the likes of YouTube and Facebook.

[24 March 2023 04:03 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban latest: ‘TikTok is a weapon'

Chair Rodgers brings up Shou Chew’s alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party, having worked as the chief financial officer of the Chinese version of TikTok before taking up his current role.

Both companies are owned by ByteDance, with high-level figures within the parent company having ties to the Chinese state.

“TikTok is a weapon,” Chair Rodgers says.

[24 March 2023 05:01 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok ban latest: Member of Congress describes TikTok as a ‘weapon'

You can watch the clip of Chair Rodgers describing TikTok as a weapon here:

[24 March 2023 06:53 · Graeme Massie]

‘Has ByteDance spied on Americans at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party?’

Rep Neal Dunn, Republican of Florida, asked CEO Shou Chew whether TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has ever spied on American citizens at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.

“No,” Mr Chew said, which set off a tense exchange with the congressman. Mr Chew concluded by saying the lawmaker did not offer him a chance to respond to his multiple quesetions.

[24 March 2023 09:03 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok boss agrees no government devices should have social media apps

TikTok CEO Shou Chew told Rep John Joyce, from Pennsylvania, that no government devices should have TikTok or any other social media app.

“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 was then asked if he let his under 13 children to use TikTok.

“This experience does not exist in Singapore. If my children lived here then yes,” he told the politician.

[24 March 2023 10:30 · Graeme Massie]

TikTok CEO Shou Chew denies app removes material for CCP

“We do not promote or remove any content on behalf of the Chinese government,” he told congressman Randy Weber. “There is content on TikTok that is critical of China.”

Mr Weber told him that TikTok was “indoctrinating our children with woke propaganda.”

“My time is up and if this committee gets its way TikTok’s time is up,” the politician added.