philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

13Dec/19Off

TikTok CEO Cancels Capitol Hill Meetings Amid Investigation Into Chinese Surveillance, Censorship

alex-zhuTikTok CEO Alex Zhu has recently said that he’s “quite optimistic” about an ongoing U.S. national security probe into the Bytedance-owned micro-video platform, amid concerns that the app is censoring content in accordance with the aims of the Chinese government, and collecting personal information on underage users.

But actions speak louder than words. Apparently, Zhu — as well as TikTok U.S.’s general manager, Vanessa Pappas — cancelled meetings at the last minute with Republican Senators on Monday, The Hill reports, inciting outrage from both Sen. Marsha Blackburn(R-Tenn.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

“What is the real reason TikTok has cancelled my meeting with CEO Alex Zhu?” Blackburn tweeted. “What are they really doing with your data and what type surveillance are they conducting on your precious children? TikTok — you owe us answers.” Added Hawley: “Not willing to answer questions. Get a call from Beijing?”

TikTok did not provide a reason for the cancellations, but stated that the meetings would take place after the holidays. A source told The Hill that planning for the meetings had been rushed, and that rescheduling allows TikTok to organize additional sitdowns.

See the full story here: https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/12/10/tiktok-ceo-cancels-capitol-hill-meetings-last-minute/

 

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