Lawmakers are itching to question Shou Zi Chew on ‘the threat that is TikTok’

TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew will be before a committee of 52 lawmakers Thursday when he sits down for his first-ever congressional testimony.

He'll face aggressive questioning from both sides of the aisle on issues like the increasing chances of a U.S. ban among others, according to conversations with lawmakers and their aides this week as they strategized over how to get the most out of the five minutes each has with the CEO.

"I am focused on assessing the threat that is TikTok," Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) told Yahoo Finance, echoing others.

And in spite of the political theatrics that come alongside any high-stakes showdown in Washington, lawmakers and their aides insist they are interested in getting new information from Chew on issues like data privacy and the company’s secretive algorithm.

“I think that you'll see our members come out very strongly,” added a committee aide to Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).

Thursday’s panel includes an eclectic range of figures from McMorris Rodgers, the influential chair who has already called for a ban, to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), who helped found the Congressional Internet Caucus and represents a big chunk of Silicon Valley, and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), the only member of Congress with a master’s degree in AI, among others.

“At the end of this, our goal is to have a better understanding of how TikTok is collecting and using data, how that data is stored, if that data is secure, where it can be transferred, what it means for users and kids’ health and privacy, and what it means for our national security,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said this week.

For his part, Chew likely will focus as much as he can on the exploding popularity of the app to argue against a ban based on the new TikTok video he released Tuesday to announce that the app now has 150 million users in America.

“Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you," he said about a possible ban.

In his opening remarks, Chew also plans to focus on TikTok's economic benefits and argue that the company has gone "above and beyond" in working to secure user data.

On data security ‘TikTok is an immediate national security threat’

Chew has also been in Washington for weeks meeting with some members of the committee. But despite those talks, deep concerns about TikTok’s data practices and ties to the Chinese government are set to come up again and again.

“TikTok owes Americans answers, and I look forward to demanding answers from Mr. Chew on Thursday," said Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) in a statement to Yahoo Finance. It was a tone that was echoed again and again by other lawmakers.

At issue is whether TikTok, as it has pledged, can reorganize to keep the invasive data it gathers on Americans out of the hands of the Chinese government. But details of the company’s efforts there — code-named "Project Texas" — have been scarce and apparently haven't satisfied the White House. Biden officials are now pushing TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based Bytedance, to either sell the company or face a ban.

The focus on TikTok also comes amid efforts in Washington around comprehensive data privacy legislation that would apply to all social media companies.

McMorris Rodgers has been a champion of that legislation, known as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, but when asked this week whether anything Chew could say Thursday would alleviate the national security concerns, aides said they couldn’t imagine it during a briefing with reporters.

Even if the comprehensive privacy legislation was currently the law, “that would not change her stance on a TikTok ban,” an aide said. “TikTok is an immediate national security threat that needs to be addressed specifically.”

A focus also on ‘the content that is being pumped to users in the United States’

Lawmakers also say that Chew and his company have been too opaque about the company's algorithm and the control that China exercises over the media that millions of Americans consume.

There is a “discrepancy in the content that is being pumped to users in the United States versus what Chinese citizens are receiving,” noted an aide to Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN).

Harshbarger is one of the most conservative members of the House — even co-sponsoring a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden — but she is expressing a bipartisan concern about how the experience of TikTok differs country by country and whether China is weaponizing the app to sow political divisions in America.

Another theme that came up repeatedly in conversations this week were the concerns of parents.

Lawmakers and their aides say parents are a "major cohort" in the feedback they are getting in advance of the hearing — with many parents hawkish on the idea of a ban amid worries about the app's effect on their children’s mental health.

“Platforms like TikTok feed algorithms that prioritize addictive scrolling without regard for their effect on mental health,” said Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA). “My priority will continue to be protecting our children from these exploitative practices and holding companies accountable.”

The focus on parents is sure to be a key counterpoint to an aggressive lobbying campaign from TikTok — which is bringing creators to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers directly.

Figures in Washington skeptical of a ban — including some Biden administration officials — have objected to the idea on first amendment grounds, but also because it could be a massive turnoff for young voters.

It’s a balance that will be key to watch on Thursday.

As for Rep. Clarke — who says TikTok needs to change its ways to avoid a ban — she noted the competing forces at play this week while saying she doesn’t spend much time on the app or social media in general.

“I know there's a lot of fun taking place [on TikTok] so I'm not oblivious.”

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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