TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Promises Firewall to Shield User Data

“TikTok will remain a platform for free expression and will not be manipulated by any government,” Mr. Chew will say in his prepared remarks. “There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform, and we know we have a responsibility to protect them.” 

TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., and House lawmakers released Mr. Chew’s remarks ahead of his scheduled appearance. Mr. Chew’s testimony is a calculated gamble by the platform to win an agreement from the U.S. government that would allow it to continue operating with safety and security improvements, while maintaining its current ownership structure.

The fight is becoming increasingly difficult. The Biden administration recently demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the video-sharing app or face a possible U.S. ban of the app. 

U.S. officials are concerned that the company could be legally obligated to turn over U.S. users’ data if Chinese authorities demanded it, and that Beijing could also influence the content shown to Americans—claims that Mr. Chew disputes.

TikTok executives have said that 60% of ByteDance shares are owned by global investors, 20% by employees and 20% by its founders, though the founders’ shares carry outsize voting rights, as is common with tech companies. The company was founded in Beijing in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, ByteDance Chief Executive Liang Rubo and others.

To counter its critics, TikTok recently has unleashed a major outreach effort in Washington, including increased lobbying and public-relations efforts as well as targeted image advertising. 

Any attempt to ban the app faces legal hurdles, including objections that it would impinge on First Amendment rights. There is also a political risk in banning a wildly popular app—especially for Democrats, who depend more than Republicans on the young people who dominate TikTok’s audience.

The company also posted a widely viewed TikTok from Mr. Chew on Tuesday, announcing the new monthly U.S. user figures. At the same time, “some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok,” he warned. “Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.” 

It plans to release a fact sheet on Wednesday, aiming to counter what it terms some myths about TikTok—including that it would be required to turn over U.S. data to Chinese authorities. The company contends that its extensive efforts to wall off U.S. data—part of a plan known as Project Texas—would eliminate that concern. 

Mr. Chew’s testimony on Thursday will mark a new high-water mark in its political efforts in Washington. But he will likely face a chilly reception from many on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

Many Republicans in Congress already have called for an outright ban on the app, citing the potential for the Chinese government to access user data or influence content. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.), who chairs the committee, also favors a ban, aides said at a briefing Monday, and is already weighing bills that have been proposed to block it in the U.S. 

Asked what Mr. Chew could say during Thursday’s hearing to change lawmakers’ minds, aides said there was basically nothing. 

“I think you’ll see our members come out very strongly” in voicing concerns about the app, one aide said. 

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already passed a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S., over opposition from Democrats who said it was overly broad. The American Civil Liberties Union has said that banning TikTok would impinge on First Amendment rights to free speech. 

Write to John D. McKinnon at [email protected]

“TikTok will remain a platform for free expression and will not be manipulated by any government,” Mr. Chew will say in his prepared remarks. “There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform, and we know we have a responsibility to protect them.” 

TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., and House lawmakers released Mr. Chew’s remarks ahead of his scheduled appearance. Mr. Chew’s testimony is a calculated gamble by the platform to win an agreement from the U.S. government that would allow it to continue operating with safety and security improvements, while maintaining its current ownership structure.

The fight is becoming increasingly difficult. The Biden administration recently demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the video-sharing app or face a possible U.S. ban of the app. 

U.S. officials are concerned that the company could be legally obligated to turn over U.S. users’ data if Chinese authorities demanded it, and that Beijing could also influence the content shown to Americans—claims that Mr. Chew disputes.

TikTok executives have said that 60% of ByteDance shares are owned by global investors, 20% by employees and 20% by its founders, though the founders’ shares carry outsize voting rights, as is common with tech companies. The company was founded in Beijing in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, ByteDance Chief Executive Liang Rubo and others.

To counter its critics, TikTok recently has unleashed a major outreach effort in Washington, including increased lobbying and public-relations efforts as well as targeted image advertising. 

Any attempt to ban the app faces legal hurdles, including objections that it would impinge on First Amendment rights. There is also a political risk in banning a wildly popular app—especially for Democrats, who depend more than Republicans on the young people who dominate TikTok’s audience.

The company also posted a widely viewed TikTok from Mr. Chew on Tuesday, announcing the new monthly U.S. user figures. At the same time, “some politicians have started talking about banning TikTok,” he warned. “Now this could take TikTok away from all 150 million of you.” 

It plans to release a fact sheet on Wednesday, aiming to counter what it terms some myths about TikTok—including that it would be required to turn over U.S. data to Chinese authorities. The company contends that its extensive efforts to wall off U.S. data—part of a plan known as Project Texas—would eliminate that concern. 

Mr. Chew’s testimony on Thursday will mark a new high-water mark in its political efforts in Washington. But he will likely face a chilly reception from many on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

Many Republicans in Congress already have called for an outright ban on the app, citing the potential for the Chinese government to access user data or influence content. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.), who chairs the committee, also favors a ban, aides said at a briefing Monday, and is already weighing bills that have been proposed to block it in the U.S. 

Asked what Mr. Chew could say during Thursday’s hearing to change lawmakers’ minds, aides said there was basically nothing. 

“I think you’ll see our members come out very strongly” in voicing concerns about the app, one aide said. 

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already passed a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S., over opposition from Democrats who said it was overly broad. The American Civil Liberties Union has said that banning TikTok would impinge on First Amendment rights to free speech. 

Write to John D. McKinnon at [email protected]