23.03.2023
The relationship between TikTok and ByteDance has caused countries to have doubts about user information security in recent years. On March 23, China’s Ministry of Commerce expressed firm opposition to the U.S. government’s request for ByteDance to sell TikTok. In addition, TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi, who used to retreat behind the scenes but has been frequently exposed to the media in recent days, has aroused people’s curiosity.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) TikTok, the overseas version of Douyin, an app owned by Chinese Internet giant ByteDance, has more than 150 million active users in the United States, accounting for almost half of the U.S. population. The U.S. government is concerned that TikTok may provide users’ browsing history or other data to the Chinese government, so it asked ByteDance to sell its TikTok stake. A number of American media quoted people familiar with the matter last week as saying that if ByteDance is unwilling to sell TikTok, the app may be banned in the United States. This news was later confirmed by TikTok.
Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China: Procedures must be performed in accordance with Chinese law
Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting pointed out at a press conference on Thursday (March 23): “Ignoring the products and services themselves, and only proceeding from the identity of foreign investors, forcing the sale of TikTok will seriously damage China, including China. If the news is true, China will firmly oppose it. The sale or divestiture of TikTok involves technology export, and administrative licensing procedures must be performed in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, and the Chinese government will make a decision in accordance with the law.”
According to media reports, TikTok has previously established a subsidiary “TikTok US Data Security” (TikTok US Data Security), and signed a contract with Oracle to store TikTok’s US user data. TikTok also claimed that it has invested US$1.5 billion in strict data security work for the so-called “Project Texas” (Project Texas), and is trying to persuade US lawmakers and the Biden administration to support this plan.
Attend House Hearings
TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will testify before the US House Energy and Commerce Committee later Thursday on the app’s data security and privacy protections. He will be the only witness at this hearing.
On Tuesday, Zhou Shouzi mentioned in his written testimony released in advance: “TikTok has never shared the data of American users with the Chinese government, and has never received such a request. And even if someone made such a request, TikTok I won’t follow suit.” On the same day, he also released a video of more than one minute, saying that TikTok is facing the risk of being banned by the US government and is at a “critical moment” and hopes to gain user support. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Zhou Shouzi called the hearing in Washington a “great opportunity” to explain Tiktok’s work, hear feedback and answer questions.
Zhou Shouzi and his wife Vivian Kao attended the 2022 Met Gala in New York
Who is Zhou Shouzi?
Zhou Shouzi, a 40-year-old Singaporean, will be appointed CEO of TikTok in 2021. He graduated from the Economics Department of University College London and obtained an MBA degree from Harvard University. Before he joined ByteDance, he served as the chief financial officer of smartphone maker Xiaomi Group, and became a partner of Xiaomi in 2020.
Some people believe that Zhou’s funded background is conducive to his communication with the US Congress. In a letter to U.S. lawmakers in June last year, TikTok not only mentioned that it operated independently of ByteDance, but also emphasized that its chief executive, Zhou, was funded not from China, but “Singaporeans in Singapore.”
He opened his own TikTok account “@shou.time” in February last year to share his life, which attracted many fans to follow and like. At the same time, Zhou Shouzi also used this to raise users’ attention to the possible ban of TikTok, including filming and lobbying with Internet celebrities on the platform.
(comprehensive report)
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