Gaza media office says 700 days of Israeli bombardment caused $68 billion in damage    Modi welcomes Trump's remarks on India-US ties despite tariff tensions    British lawmakers urge boycott of Israeli President Herzog's visit    Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli calls for Palestinian displacement, backs Egypt's stance    Saudi Arabia's digital sector grows to 389,000 workers with record female participation    Riyadh Metro adjusts start time to 5:30 AM to serve commuters and students    Saudi Red Crescent to implement first aid in secondary schools    Health minister and Syrian communications minister discuss enhancing digital health cooperation    Saudi Arabia, France sign cultural cooperation program at Versailles    Executive regulations to define exceptions to deportation under amended traffic law    Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. set to meet in exhibition boxing match in 2026    Gamers frustrated as Hollow Knight: Silksong crashes stores on launch    'My mother was my shelter and storm': Arundhati Roy on her fierce new memoir    Al-Falih: Saudi Arabia expected to host over 1,000 RHQs for global companies in a few years    HONOR to participate in Global Symposium for Regulators 2025 in Saudi Arabia    Restored Big Ben tower up for architecture award    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series laptops redefine learning, creating and gaming    Al Ahli secure Flamengo starlet Matheus Gonçalves in long-term deal through 2027    Al Hilal sign Turkish defender Yusuf Akcicek on €22m deal until 2029    Al Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl to strengthen defensive midfield    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



TikTok's US future at stake as boss faces Congress showdown
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 03 - 2023

On Thursday, TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will be opening a lion's mouth and placing his own head into it.
He's giving testimony in the US Congress for the first time, a scary thing to do.
And at stake is the future of the phenomenally popular video-sharing app in the US.
"I think that there is a real risk that if this hearing doesn't go well... that could have a massive impact on the future of TikTok," said Chris Stokel-Walker, author of TikTok Boom.
Chew is likely to face a barrage of questions on TikTok's relationship with China, what data it collects, and what it does with it.
He'll also be quizzed on why several journalists were spied on by ByteDance employees - something TikTok has already admitted.
Chew will say user data is safe — away from the reach of the Chinese government.
He knows politicians from all sides want to see the platform either sold - or outright banned in the US.
"He's going into the lion's den," said Mr Stokel-Walker.
Mr Chew is going to need to give the performance of a lifetime. And already, close observers have seen a change of tactic from the Singaporean.
TikTok's boss, who has had a range of senior positions in the world of finance, generally sports a suit jacket and tie.
But on Tuesday, he posted a TikTok with a very different look.
Instead of a suit, he was wearing a white T-shirt and hoodie - the uniform of the nonchalant tech founder.
The 40-year-old was suddenly speaking like a teenager too - talking of being "super excited".
"I think he's trying to give off a sort of the casual tech bro," said Caitlin Chin from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank.
"He's actually been starting to gain a bit more of a public profile, especially leading up to this hearing."
The Singaporean has generally kept a low profile since taking over at TikTok in 2021.
However, that approach appears to have changed. TikTok is fighting for its life, and Mr Chew knows it.
The big problem TikTok has in the US and Europe is that it is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance.
And in China, there are specific laws that require companies to hand over information to the Chinese Communist Party if requested.
TikTok holds reams of data about its users, including location information and biometric data.
For years TikTok has argued that it would never hand over user information.
It has spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying efforts and strategies to appease governments.
At the heart of its attempt to convince US lawmakers is "Project Texas".
This is the company's commitment to store US data in the US - on servers run by a US company, Oracle.
The company says so far it has spent $1.5bn on this project - and describes it as a "firewall" that protects data from foreign governments.
TikTok had hoped it would satisfy politicians on all sides.
Last year Chew wrote to politicians saying he believed the project would "safeguard user data and US national security interests".
But sadly for TikTok, Project Texas has been looked at sceptically by both Republicans and Democrats.
For many US politicians, for as long as TikTok has a Chinese owner, it will be considered suspicious.
Last month FBI director Christopher Wray didn't mince his words about the platform.
"This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese Government. And to me, it screams out with national security concerns," he said.
For most US lawmakers, TikTok would be a far more palatable platform if it were not owned by a Chinese company.
Last week it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration had requested the company be sold for this reason.
This is not what ByteDance wants. TikTok has enormous potential. And besides, the Chinese company doesn't wish to sell its greatest asset simply because US politicians want them to.
This is the backdrop to Thursday's congressional hearing.
We already have a fair idea of what Mr Chew is going to say from TikTok briefings.
He'll argue that 150 million American users will lose out if the platform is banned - and that thousands of small businesses rely on the platform.
He'll push back on the idea that ByteDance is Chinese-owned - saying the company has many international investors.
And he'll also argue that Chinese laws cannot compel ByteDance to share American data - because TikTok is a US-based company, with its data stored in the US.
But often these hearings make headlines for one or perhaps two specific exchanges.
Mark Zuckerberg's famous Senate hearing in 2018 is often remembered for one brilliant question from Senator Richard Durbin.
"Mr Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us which hotel you stayed in last night?" he said.
The Facebook boss looked visibly uncomfortable before saying "no".
"I think that might be what this is all about...your right to privacy," the senator said. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.