And it is that the relationship between TikTok and the Chinese company ByteDance was one of the most relevant issues during the hearing of the executive, who was questioned if the fact of being a subsidiary represented a security breach for the data of the Americans.
Faced with these questions, Chew responded that TikTok has not shared data with the Chinese government, nor has it received a request to do so, and in case of having this requirement, TikTok would not comply with it.
The executive also cited a report by internet watchdog Citizen Lab, noting that “there was no open data transmission from TikTok to the Chinese government and that TikTok did not contact any servers inside China.”
However, while the hearing was taking place, the director of Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert, regretted through Twitter that the investigation carried out in 2021 had been misrepresented, in which they mentioned that they did not know what happened to the data. from users when collected and sent to TikTok’s servers.
On the other hand, Chew highlighted the relevance of the Texas Project as the main strategy to prevent the leakage of user information and that it remains on servers in the United States under the surveillance of Oracle, a company of American origin.
Notably, Shou Zi Chew told lawmakers that Chinese employees of parent company ByteDance may still have access to some user data in the US, but that would change once the Texas Project is completed.
What is Project Texas and why is it important to TikTok?
The Texas Project is a plan that the platform has motivated to alleviate concerns around the data security of users in the United States. According to what Chew shared, with the implementation of this plan, TikTok will base its data operations in the US on a national level.
But they will also add a layer of transparency, by allowing external third parties to review and submit the app’s code to stores so that they are able to assess its compliance with the regulations requested by the authorities.
However, lawmakers did not buy what Chew said about his independence from the Chinese government. Even Rep. Michael Burgess highlighted a Wall Street Journal report where China’s Commerce Ministry said a sale or divestment of TikTok would involve exporting its technology and therefore must first be approved by the Chinese government.
Safety for minors, an issue that worries US legislators
The proliferation of dangerous viral challenges is something that also worries lawmakers in the United States, so during the hearing they questioned Shou Zi Chew if these harmful challenges exist on Douyin, the Chinese version of the platform.
Separately, Chew admitted that while TikTok implemented new controls to limit daily screen time to 60 minutes for those under 18, they don’t have data on how many teens continue to view content beyond that limit.
Likewise, the representatives questioned the operation of the platform’s algorithm, as well as its interface, which they described as one of the most addictive products in the technology industry, to the point of comparing it with fentanyl.
They also raised questions regarding the processes they execute to moderate content, to which Chew replied that it is a challenge that all companies in the technology industry must face and not just TikTok.
In one of the most tense moments of the appearance, the representative of the state of Florida, Kat Cammack showed a video of the platform in which a threat to shoot against the members of Congress that TikTok investigates was shown and concluded that if the platform couldn’t delete that video, also can’t keep user data safe.
