TikTok CEO denies allegations before US Congress
CEO of TikTok asserts to US Congress: no sharing of US data with China

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has denied allegations that the company shared U.S. users' data with China shortly before a hearing in the U.S. Congress. In written testimony, Chew stressed that TikTok has never shared U.S. users' data with the Chinese government or received a request to do so. Nor would the company comply with such a request if it were ever made.
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is not owned or controlled by any government or state entity, Chew asserted. Instead, 60 percent of ByteDance is owned by global investors, including Blackrock, General Atlantic and Sequoia, he said. About 20 percent is owned by the company's founders and another 20 percent by employees, including thousands of Americans, he said.
Chew's statement is expected to include the line he is expected to take when he is questioned by a U.S. congressional committee tomorrow. The topic of the hearing is a possible transfer of TikTok's user data to the government in Beijing. The U.S. is currently considering a ban on the app. ByteDance had recently admitted that employees had gained unauthorized access to users' data. As a spokeswoman for the company in the US confirmed, personal data of at least two journalists was affected. The company subsequently fired four employees.
The allegations against TikTok have led to several governments banning the use of the app on service phones, including Germany, the U.S. and Canada. Despite government and user concerns, TikTok has more than 150 million users in the U.S. who open the app at least once a month. These users account for ten percent of the app's total user base, according to TikTok.
