TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi attended a hearing in the U.S. Congress on Thursday, emphasizing that TikTok is not controlled by any government, and its parent company, ByteDance, is not an agent of China or any country. However, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that the sale or spin-off of TikTok requires Chinese permission.
Zhou Shouzi attended a hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 23. In the face of U.S. lawmakers’ concerns that TikTok may pose a national security risk, Zhou Shouzi emphasized that TikTok is not an agent of any country, saying that TikTok cannot be used in China. And tried to distance itself from the relationship with the Chinese government.
"ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government, it is a private company." Zhou Shouzi said.
Zhou Shouzi believed that TikTok was being suppressed and voluntarily attended this hearing. He was also the only speaker in the entire hearing. At the same time, this was also the first time that the CEO of TikTok appeared in a relevant hearing in the US Congress.
When Zhou was testified, he emphasized his commitment to user protection to the lawmakers present. He said: "We will use the firewall to protect US user data from unauthorized foreign access. Tiktok will remain a platform for free expression and will not be subject to any Government manipulation."
Zhou Shouzi tried his best to dismiss the fact that the US Congressman did not buy it
Zhou Shouzi also stated that TikTok is working on "Project Texas", which will isolate sensitive data from US users, and only US employees can access the data. Still, Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone said of the project, "I still believe that the communist government in Beijing still has control and the ability to influence what you do."
Asked about his relationship with parent company ByteDance, Zhou Shouzi said he only had regular contact with ByteDance's CEO, but denied any dealings with ByteDance's Communist Party secretary. However, Zhou Shouzi did not directly deny whether ByteDance employees had access to U.S. data in response to questions from lawmakers.
"When 'Project Texas' is done, the answer is no," he said. "At the moment we still need to delete some data."
As for whether the Chinese government has the right to request data sharing, Zhou Shouzi said in response to a question from Democratic Congressman Anna Eshoo that there is no evidence that the Chinese government has the right to access data, "They never asked us, and we never Provided”, he said that he has investigated this matter, and there is no evidence that TikTok is related to the Chinese government.
In addition, Zhou Shouzi also denied that TikTok censors content, saying that content sensitive to the Chinese government such as the "Tiananmen Incident" can be found on the app.
However, many lawmakers did not buy his statement. Committee Chairman, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said TikTok collects any data imaginable and is manipulated by the CCP. She also reminded that if witnesses give false answers, they will be held accountable. Zhou Shouzi said that many congressmen did not give him enough time to make a statement.
China's Ministry of Commerce: Approval required for sale or divestiture of TikTok
The Biden administration of the United States recently asked TikTok to separate from its parent company in Beijing. Chinese shareholders must sell their shares, otherwise they will face the risk of being banned.
However, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce expressed firm opposition to this at a regular press conference on Thursday. Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Yuting said that the mandatory sale of TikTok will seriously damage the confidence of investors from all over the world, including China, to invest in the United States, and will not It means that the sale or divestment of TikTok involves technology export, and administrative licensing procedures must be performed in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.
When asked about the matter, Zhou Shouzi reiterated that TikTok is headquartered in the United States and is storing data in the United States.