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TikTok on a smartphone
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TikTok CEO Shou Chew has introduced written testimony forward of assembly the US Home Vitality and Commerce Committee to debate accusations across the platform’s ties to China.
Chew is showing in entrance of the committee on March 23, 2023, with a purpose to deal with issues about TikTok’s possession, and its assortment of consumer information. These are points which have already led to the Home of Representatives ordering the elimination of TikTok from its employees telephones, and to an rising chance of an outright ban.
CEO Shou Chew will reply questions from the committee, however he has already introduced his case in a 5,000-word written testimony. In it, he argues that not solely is TikTok fashionable within the US, however it’s accountable for bringing worldwide “publicity to American musicians, artists, cooks, and plenty of extra.”
“Whereas customers in the US characterize 10 p.c of our world group,” he writes, “their voice accounts for 25 p.c of the whole views world wide.”
Chew additionally stresses how TikTok prides itself on “being a platform that helps [US] firms.. a lot of them small companies… thrive.” He says that over 150 million People use the platform, “and we all know now we have a accountability to guard them.”
Consequently, his testimony is break up into emphasizing what particular steps the corporate is doing to handle US issues — and to denying Chinese language connections.
“Let me state this unequivocally,” he continues, “[TikTok owner] ByteDance will not be an agent of China or another nation.”
Addressing US issues
Describing the corporate’s “Challenge Texas,” Chew says that it includes his agency having “contracted with Oracle… to retailer TikTok’s US consumer information” on servers inside the US.
“Furthermore, Oracle has already begun inspecting TikTok’s supply code and may have unprecedented entry to the associated algorithms and information fashions,” he continues. “No different social media firm, or leisure platform like TikTok, gives this stage of entry and transparency.”
TikTok remains to be transitioning to Oracle, which suggests it’s at present additionally “deleting historic protected US consumer information saved on non-Oracle servers.” When that is full, later in 2023, Chew says, there can be “no approach for the Chinese language authorities to entry [US user data] or compel entry to it.”
He additionally denies that China has ever requested information, plus he says TikTok would refuse if it have been requested.
Chew argues {that a} ban onTikTok “hurts American small companies, damages the nation’s financial system, silences the voices of over 150 million People, and reduces competitors in an more and more concentrated market.”
“Bans are solely acceptable when there aren’t any options,” he continues. “However we do have another one which we imagine addresses the issues we have heard from this Committee and others.”
That plan facilities on 4 commitments. “We are going to hold security — significantly for youngsters — a high precedence for us,” says Chew. “We are going to firewall protected US consumer information from unauthorized international entry.”
“Tiktok will stay a platform at no cost expression and won’t be manipulated by any authorities,” he says. And at last, “we can be clear and provides entry to third-party unbiased displays, to stay accountable for our commitments.”
A lot of Chew’s place within the new testimony is, as he factors out, the identical that he has been discussing with the committee and different events, significantly regarding Challenge Texas.
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