TikTok CEO Faces Tough Questions from Lawmakers
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced hard-hitting questions from members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a grueling five-hour hearing on Thursday. Representatives from both sides of the aisle pressed Chew on concerns over the potential influence that the Chinese government has over the app. Under Xi Jinping, China has implemented regulations and laws to secure access to private firms' collected data and expanded efforts to shape corporate governance and decision-making. A spokeswoman for the Chinese Commerce Ministry said before Thursday’s hearing that it would “firmly oppose” the Biden administration’s recent threat of a TikTok ban unless parent company ByteDance divested of the video-sharing app.