TikTok’s security, privacy promises dismissed by House committee

Ars Technica reports that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has failed to assuage privacy and security concerns surrounding the video sharing platform in a testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. TikTok was noted by Chew to be addressing Congress' national security concerns with Project Texas, which would ensure the protection of U.S. data behind a firewall, as well as bolster data collection and algorithm transparency. However, Rep. Jay Obernolte said that such an initiative would not prevent China from accessing and purchasing U.S. data from the platform. Chew also declined to express TikTok's commitment to comply with various proposed bills that seek to modify the platform's operations. TikTok's testimony has emphasized the importance of legislation protecting U.S. infrastructure from foreign threats, according to Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Thune, R-S.D., who sponsored the RESTRICT Act. "It is vital for Congress to establish a process to review and mitigate the harms posed by foreign technology products that come from places like China and Russia. We are encouraged by the quick momentum and strong bipartisan support for our legislation and expect that it will only grow following todays testimony," the senators said in a joint statement.