By: Molly Codeanne
The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, is scheduled to appear before a congressional committee in March. TikTok has faced many allegations concerning sharing U.S. users’ data with the Chinese Communist Party. The chairs of the committee want Americans to be informed with respect to how TikTok’s actions and functions affect individuals’ privacy and data security, as well as the measures TikTok uses to keep children safe from internet harms. We know our data is being used and tracked when engaging in any online, social media platform, however, additional concerns have arisen from the fact that TikTok is a Chinese-owned company.
Chew is a Harvard University graduate and previously interned at Meta Platforms, working for Facebook. He will appear in front of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and will be the only witness to testify at the hearing. Chew is expected to address TikTok’s privacy and data security practices, the effects TikTok has on young users, and the company’s relationship to the Chinese Communist Party. Republican representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, stated that “[i]t is now time to continue the committee’s efforts to hold Big Tech accountable by bringing TikTok before the committee to provide complete and honest answers for the people.” The primary goal of this meeting is to inform Americans on how TikTok policies affect their privacy and safety while engaging on the online platform.
Since 2016, when the app was originally released under the name “Musical.ly,” TikTok has garnered enormous traction with users of all ages. A recent study showed that 67% of American teens spend time on TikTok, making it the second most popular app, after YouTube, which is unique in that it is the only non-US app. While most teens use social media to stay connected with friends, build relationships, and express their creativity, according to a Pew Research Center study, 26% of teens still say that social media makes them feel bad about their own lives. Because the app has such a large number of young users, it will be incredibly important to hear what Chew has to say regarding the systems that the company has in place to protect young, impressionable minds.
It is clear that the primary concerns revolving around TikTok, and the core reasoning for the congressional meeting, stem from the fact that it is a Chinese-owned company, and the U.S. has little control over its practices. Part of the tension between the U.S. and the platform are due to this lack of control. As it stands today, the U.S. has dominated the internet and user platforms, setting the “norms around freedom and security.” It is hard for the U.S. to imagine a future where it is not in control, and “China’s success here feels like an indictment of America’s values.”
Additionally, the Chinese government has taken “golden-shares” in the company, giving them special rights and privileges to board seats. Chew will be expected to answer questions regarding whether TikTok sends Americans’ data to China. TikTok has previously admitted that its parent company, Bytedance, used the app to access personal data in both China and the U.S. Furthermore, in December, President Biden approved the ban of TikTok on “all devices issued by the federal government.” Furthermore, as the tension between China and Taiwan grows, Taiwan predicts that war could break out as soon as 2025 and, thus, there is more at stake than the app itself.
This meeting has also garnered attention from China’s internet users stating that Chew may be in danger, and some have even expressed their anger. One user stated that Chew may be detained in Washington like Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei Technologies, was detained in 2018 in Vancouver, at the direction of U.S. authorities. Additionally, some aver that Washington may “revive efforts to force a sale of TikTok’s US operations.” However, these are only speculations and the fate of TikTok remains to be seen. Chew will need to convince both sides that the app has taken serious measures to keep users and their information safe, while he, himself, will be closely monitored by officials in China.
As users of social media, we have all become aware of the fact that our data and the information that we put online is recorded, monitored, and tracked. For the most part, having our data monitored has become an accepted practice because very few of us could go a day without some sort of engagement on a social media platform. However, when our data that we willingly put online is “given” to a country with more lenient privacy and data measures and where the “line between a citizen’s privacy and government spying is blurred,” it is clear that United States lawmakers have heightened concerns.
Student Bio: Molly Codeanne is a second-year day student at Suffolk University Law School. She is a staff writer on the Journal of High Technology Law. Molly received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science at The College of the Holy Cross
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are the views of the author alone and do not represent the views of JHTL or Suffolk University Law School.
