TikTok CEO Shou Chew dodged questions Thursday about whether tactics by parent company ByteDance used to “spy” on American journalists could be used to target more Americans.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington questioned Chew on reporting by Forbes that staff at ByteDance used TikTok data last year to surveil journalists who were covering the company, gaining access to their IP addresses to track whether they had been in proximity to ByteDance employees.
“TikTok spied on American journalists. Can you say with 100% certainty that neither ByteDance, nor TikTok employees, can target other Americans with similar surveillance techniques?” Rodgers asked.
“I disagree with the characterization that it’s ‘spying,’” said Chew.
Public officials, lawmakers and experts have raised national security concerns regarding ByteDance’s connections to China, with the Biden administration even threatening to force the parent to sell TikTok or else face a nationwide ban, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Rodgers adjusted her question, asking for a yes or no answer to the question, “Can you do surveillance of other Americans?”
Chew responded that TikTok will protect U.S. user data from foreign access.
“I wanted to hear you say with 100% certainty that neither ByteDance nor TikTok employees can target other Americans with similar surveillance techniques as you did with the journalists.”
“Again, I disagree with the characterization of ‘surveillance,’” Chew said.
All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- ‘Almost shocked’: Former US attorney blasts Sam Bankman-Fried’s prison sentence for being too short - March 28, 2024
- ‘Pissed RFK off’: Former Clinton adviser slams DNC for zeroing in on third parties instead of Biden’s ‘poor’ approval - March 28, 2024
- Convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison - March 28, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!