TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Thursday, as he expected to respond to legislators' concerns about possible national security risks voiced about the Chinese app. "Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country," Chew said in his released remarks. He furtherly highlighted that his company has never shared any American users' data with the Chinese government. "Nor would TikTok honour such a request if one were ever made," the CEO stressed. Chew also referred to TikTok's effort to allow outside monitoring for its source code through establishing new Oracle servers in the United States, named Project Texas. He said his proposed project should be presented as the solution for ongoing disputes, instead of proposed ban or diversification of the company's ownership. TikTok's CEO referred to how selling the company's shares "would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access." Furthermore, Chew mentioned how banning TikTok would negatively influence the U.S. economy. He outlined how small businesses in particular use the famous app to promote their products.
