The chair of a US Home of Representatives panel desires TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to deal with questions subsequent week in regards to the widespread Chinese language-owned video app’s efforts to guard kids from inappropriate content material and potential exploitation.
Chew might be showing for the primary time earlier than Congress when he testifies earlier than the Home Power and Commerce Committee on March 23.
Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, stated Thursday lawmakers “must know what actions the corporate is taking to maintain our children protected from on-line and offline harms.”
McMorris Rodgers and different Republicans in December wrote TikTok saying stated “many kids are uncovered to continuous choices of inappropriate content material that TikTok’s algorithm force-feeds to them.” In addition they raised considerations that TikTok livestreamed occasions enable grownup TikTok customers to supply financial rewards to “persuade kids to carry out sexually suggestive acts.”
TikTok, owned by Chinese language tech firm ByteDance, stated the Biden administration had threatened to ban the app in the US if its Chinese language homeowners didn’t promote their stakes within the firm.
“People should know the extent to which their privateness is jeopardized and their knowledge is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China,” she added. The US authorities has raised considerations that TikTok’s consumer knowledge could possibly be handed on to China’s authorities.
TikTok, which didn’t instantly remark, stated earlier this month it’s growing a instrument that may enable mother and father to forestall their teenagers from viewing content material containing sure phrases or hashtags on the short-form video app.
TikTok introduced new options to assist customers restrict the period of time spent on the app. Accounts belonging to customers underneath 18 will routinely have a time restrict of 1 hour per day, and teenagers might want to enter a passcode to proceed utilizing the app.
TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating for greater than two years on knowledge safety necessities. TikTok stated it has spent greater than $1.5 billion (almost Rs. 12,400 crore) on rigorous knowledge safety efforts and rejects spying allegations.
The Biden administration demand for divestiture was essentially the most dramatic in a sequence of current steps by US officers and legislators.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
