TikTok's main enforcement has sought to reassure US Congress that the Chinese-owned video app is not "an agent" of Beijing and poses nary hazard to nationalist security.
Shou Zi Chew faced hours of pugnacious questioning by deputies successful the House of Representatives convinced that the fashionable app is simply a "tool" of the Chinese Communist Party.
Some person besides raised concerns that TikTok, which has 150 cardinal American users, carries contented that tin harm children's intelligence health.
The deputies connected the House Committee connected Energy and Commerce pressed Mr Chew connected assorted topics - ranging from TikTok's contented moderation practices to the company's spying connected journalists.
Watch live: TikTok main enforcement questioned by US Congress
"Mr Chew, you are present due to the fact that the American radical request the information astir the menace TikTok poses to our nationalist and idiosyncratic security," said the committee's chair, Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
"TikTok has repeatedly chosen a way for much control, much surveillance and much manipulation."
Mr Chew insisted its genitor institution ByteDance prioritises the information of its young users - and denied claims that the app is simply a nationalist information risk.
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"Let maine authorities this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an cause of China oregon immoderate different country," helium said.
He reiterated the company's program to support US idiosyncratic information by storing accusation connected servers maintained and owned by server elephantine Oracle.
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Many deputies connected the committee recovered immoderate of Mr Chew's answers evasive - with 1 of them, Tony Cardenas, saying the main enforcement was a "good dancer with words".
Increasing unit and bans
TikTok has been nether expanding scrutiny implicit its security and information privacy, with concerns it could beryllium utilized to beforehand pro-Beijing views oregon stitchery idiosyncratic information - thing TikTok powerfully denies.
In the UK, the app volition beryllium blocked from parliament's devices and network.
The EU Commission and much than fractional of US states and Congress person already introduced a prohibition connected unit phones implicit concerns astir imaginable cyber attacks, with the UK authorities pursuing suit past week.
China said it would reason immoderate US attempts to unit ByteDance to merchantability the app.