TikTok executives have declined to testify at a congressional hearing set for Tuesday, which could create even more trouble for the app among lawmakers in Washington, according to The Washington Post.
The executives were set to testify about the app’s connection to China since it is owned by a Chinese-based company called Bytedance.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri organized the session to figure out whether the app is supportive of Chinese propaganda, and if it is censoring information that would go against the Chinese government. But TikTok executives declined Sunday to attend the hearing. No reason has been given, according to The Washington Post.
Context: TikTok has become a viral sensation over the last year or so in the United States. The app allows users to share between 15- to 60-second videos. Most of the videos are centered around comedy or mockumentary-style pranks, as I explained in my piece from late October.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is based out of Beijing. The company merged its app with Musical.ly about two years ago, which drew concern from Congress, too. The Committee on Foreign Investment has already begun to review that deal, according to Reuters since TikTok didn’t check with the committee before it acquired Musical.ly.
- “While we cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes, TikTok has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S. Part of that effort includes working with Congress and we are committed to doing so,” a TikTok spokesperson told Reuters.
More concerns: Washington has been concerned with the security risks of the app. Sens. Chuck Schumer, Tom Cotton and Marco Rubio all called for an investigation into the national security risks of app, feeling that China could be using the app to spy on Americans or influence future elections, according to CNN.
But TikTok fired back against these claims from Congress, which had accused TikTok of censoring pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong, The Verge reported.
- “At TikTok, we take these issues incredibly seriously,” the blog posts reads. “We are committed to transparency and accountability in how we support our TikTok users in the U.S. and around the world. In light of recent claims, we believe it is critical to set the record straight on some specific issues.
- “We have never been asked by the Chinese government to remove any content and we would not do so if asked. Period,” the blog post read.