TikTok CEO Shoi Zi Chew has claimed that ByteDance, the China-controlled company that owns TikTok, is “not an agent of China.”
Chew made the claim in prepared remarks he is scheduled to deliver to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday amid a bipartisan push to ban TikTok in the United States.
“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.
“I am well aware that the fact that ByteDance has Chinese founders has prompted concerns that our platform could be used as or become a tool of China or the Chinese Communist Party. There have even been calls to ban us or require divestment,” Chew added. “Divestment doesn’t address the fundamental concerns that I have heard, as a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access. This is not an issue of nationality.”
Earlier this month, a whistleblower, who is a “a former ByteDance employee with direct knowledge of TikTok’s operating practices,” revealed that China can easily access U.S. data through ByteDance and TikTok.
The whistleblower alleged, “TikTok and ByteDance employees – including members of the Chinese Communist Party known to be on ByteDance’s payroll – can switch between Chinese and U.S. data with nothing more than the click of a button,” a press release from Hawley’s office explained.
“TikTok and ByteDance employees use tools that allow for easy access to U.S. data. Some tools only require approval from a manager and a dataset owner before a China-based employee can access U.S. data,” the whistleblower also alleged, adding, “TikTok coordinates activities with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. They use the same data analysis tools and chat apps, and managers are in constant contact.”