TikTok CEO appears before Congress over security fears

WASHINGTON - The CEO of TikTok made a rare public appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee, where he faced a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn't be banned.Shou Zi Chew's testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S.

officials. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.In her opening statement, Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, assailed the social platform's trustworthiness because of its close ties to Beijing.TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) "Mr.

Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security," McMorris Rodgers said. "TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation."Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, will tell the U.S.

House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the safety of its young users and deny allegations that the app is a national security risk, according to his prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing."There are many misconceptions about our company and I’m very proud to come here and represent them and all our users in this country," Chew told reporters before entering the hearing.TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified Thursday morning in front of Congress,.