TikTok CEO rebelled: "We are not agents"

At his first Congressional hearing has adressed many problems the app has been facing for a long time. Here are all the details.

TikTok has faced serious security problems since its launch, especially on the US side. The CEO made some statements yesterday for the application, which faced the claim that it leaked data to China. TikTok should be outlawed, said committee chair Representative Cathy Rodgers in her introductory remarks. She claimed that TikTok and ByteDance were identical and that ByteDance was a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party.

In his written evidence, TikTok CEO Chew asserted that "ByteDance is not an agent of China," and he frequently referred to Project Texas, the company's extensive plan to encrypt the data of US users in the US.

TikTok has been under a lot of pressure

Beyond issues of national security, several legislators brought up issues of adolescent safety, including TikTok's methods for content moderation and its handling of viral "challenges." Chew frequently mentioned recent changes, such as TikTok's addition of a STEM-themed feed, new screentime restrictions, and algorithm modifications to reduce "repetitive patterns" of possibly harmful content. But it seemed his evidence hadn't done much to convince the committee members that Project Texas will be able to allay their worries after more than five hours of questioning.