The CEO of TikTok Shou Zi Chew was grilled in his first ever appearance before Congress as some lawmakers hope to ban the app nationwide
A House panel delivered a rare bipartisan rebuke of TikTok Thursday, while challenging and questioning Chew.
Chew, on the defensive, pushed back against concerns that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance could be forced to share user data with China’s government.
A newCBS news poll shows most Americans over 30 are in favor of a TikTok ban.
The White House and more than half of U.S. states, including Texas, have already banned the app on government devices and Congress is considering three bills that would either further restrict or outright ban TikTok in the U.S.
"We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values,” Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers for Washington’s 5th district said.
“The platform also threatens the health, privacy and security of the American people,” Representative Frank Pallone for New Jersey 6th Congressional district said.
After Thursday’s hearing, TikTok released a statement accusing house committee members of "political grandstanding" and warning a ban could violate the first amendment and hurt the livelihoods of millions of users.
Its parent company, ByteDance, is under investigation by the department of justice for what it calls spying.
