Shou Zi Chew

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified Thursday at a congressional hearing over concerns about user data collected by the popular video-sharing app and potential ...

Chew’s decision to emphasize TikTok’s reach in the U.S. After earning his MBA, he became a partner at venture capital firm DST Global, where he worked for five years and helped facilitate investment in the company that became ByteDance. Most Americans likely first heard of Chew when he released a video this week speaking directly to TikTok’s U.S. He graduated in 2006 from University College London and worked for two years at Goldman Sachs before moving to the U.S. Chew attempted to persuade lawmakers not to pursue a ban on the app or force Chinese parent company ByteDance to give up its ownership stake, testifying that TikTok prioritizes the safety of young users. He says the company plans to store all U.S.

Cyber Threat Alliance CEO, Michael Daniel analyses the public persona of the Singaporean businessman and his testimony before US congress.

"Welcome to the most bipartisan committee in Congress," said Republican congressman Buddy Carter. "Thank you, Mr Chew, for bringing Republicans and Democrats ...

US politicians have grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content, responding sceptically during a tense committee hearing to his ...

As of October, all new US user data was stored inside the country. He said the company had about 40,000 moderators that tracked harmful content and an algorithm that flagged material. He reiterated the company's plan to protect US user data by storing it on servers maintained and owned by the software giant Oracle. "American social companies don't have a good track record with data privacy and user security," he said. Mr Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritised the safety of its young users and denied it was a national security risk. - Mr Chew told the House Committee that TikTok prioritised the safety of its young users and denied it was a national security risk

US politicians have grilled the chief executive of TikTok over data security and harmful content, responding sceptically during a tense committee hearing to ...

As of October, all new US user data was stored inside the country. He said the company had about 40,000 moderators that tracked harmful content and an algorithm that flagged material. He reiterated the company's plan to protect US user data by storing it on servers maintained and owned by the software giant Oracle. "American social companies don't have a good track record with data privacy and user security," he said. Mr Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritised the safety of its young users and denied it was a national security risk. - Mr Chew told the House Committee that TikTok prioritised the safety of its young users and denied it was a national security risk

Tech executives don't get an easy ride before Congress, but Shou Zi Chew's hearing was exceptionally bruising.

He didn't often take the fight back to members of Congress. In that country the version of the app for children younger than 13 is not available. But there were rare moments where he did push back - and effectively. Just look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica." As of now, Mr Chew confirmed that ByteDance engineers in China do have access to data. Mr Chew did clarify that the children's version of the app is available in the US, and he would let his children use it if they were in America.

He is desperate to convince American legislators that the social-media app is harmless | The Economist explains.

In a rare video posted this week on TikTok, Mr Chew appeared in a Zuckerberg-esque jeans and hoodie to announce that the app had passed 150m users in America. On Thursday Mr Chew did his best to persuade his inquisitors that he was not out to brainwash Americans, but merely to [entertain them](/business/2023/03/21/how-tiktok-broke-social-media) and show them ads. [fret](/leaders/2022/07/07/whos-afraid-of-tiktok) that TikTok, which is owned by Bytedance, [a Chinese company,](/business/2023/03/07/how-china-inc-is-tackling-the-tiktok-problem) is a tool for spying on American users and feeding them communist propaganda.

This week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in front of Congress to address lawmakers' concerns about the app's Chinese ownership.

[not popular](https://www.businessinsider.com/jamaal-bowman-press-conference-tiktok-ban-xenophobic-red-scare-2023-3) with the app’s users, and a handful of them [arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday](https://twitter.com/UrsulaPerano/status/1638627522844983296?s=20) to protest. At one point, Georgia representative [Earl “Buddy” Carter](https://www.tiktok.com/@gbp97/video/7213775012883434795?_r=1&_t=8atY9JYvN6Y) asked Chew if phone cameras track users’ pupil dilations, only to appear profoundly confused by the answer. Another representative, North Carolina’s [Richard Hudson](https://www.tiktok.com/@hoolie_r/video/7213797620110626090?_r=1&_t=8atYA8kgQiE), seemed not to have a full grasp on how internet connection works, asking, “Does TikTok access the home Wi-Fi network?” During his [five-hour testimony](https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-hearing-congress-interrupting-grilling-ceo-ban-sale-2023-3), he vowed that the app prioritizes the safety of young users and outlined TikTok’s plan to move U.S. [TikTok](https://www.thecut.com/2023/03/tiktok-bans-what-to-know.html) CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in front of Congress to address lawmakers’ concerns about the app’s Chinese ownership. Because TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China and potentially subject to data audits from the Chinese government, the [Biden administration](https://www.businessinsider.com/banning-tiktok-bipartisan-issue-biden-trump-sale-last-resort-2023-3?utm_medium=ingest&utm_source=markets&_gl=1*z8z54c*_ga*MTcyOTUwODUyMS4xNjczMzgzOTAx*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY3OTY3NTQ5Mi45LjEuMTY3OTY3NzY0MC42MC4wLjA.) wants to either force a sale to an American company or ban TikTok nationwide.