A committee spokesperson confirmed to CNN Monday that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify at an upcoming hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Chew will be the only witness at the hearing on March 23. He is expected to testify on TikTok’s privacy and data security practices, its impact on young users, and its “relationship to the Chinese Communist Party,” according to a hearing announcement on the committee’s website.
“We’ve made our concerns known to TikTok,” said Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers in a statement. “It is now time for the committee to continue holding Big Tech accountable by bringing TikTok before the committee to provide complete and honest answers for the people.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Chew’s upcoming testimony.
“We welcome the opportunity to set the record straight about TikTok, ByteDance, and the commitments we are making to address concerns about US national security before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce,” said Brooke Oberwetter, TikTok’s spokesperson. “We hope that by sharing the specifics of our comprehensive plans with the full Committee, Congress will be able to take a more deliberate approach to the issue.”
The high-profile hearing highlights TikTok’s growing political risk as negotiations with the US government on a national security deal continue to stall.
US officials are concerned that China may use its laws to force TikTok or its parent company, ByteDance, to hand over US user data that could be used for intelligence or disinformation purposes. According to a CNN analysis, the US government has banned TikTok from official devices, and more than half of US states have taken similar measures.
Chew, who became TikTok CEO in April 2021, has largely avoided the spotlight at a time when the app he leads can’t seem to stay out of it. During a Senate hearing last year, members of Congress grilled TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas, arguably the company’s public face in the United States.
