Month: April 2023

In recent years there has been talk of the Chinese government using TikTok to spy on American citizens. When I first learned of this it further justified my reason to not partake in the social media platform. However, as more information is being released and with the recent congressional hearing between the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, and US congress March 23, 2023¹ I have become less convinced this is an issue of protecting the youth and national security. During Chews opening statement he expresses how TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a private company. He expresses 60% of the company is owned by global investors, 20% owned by global employees, and 20% owned by the founder. Additionally, 3 out of the 5 board members are Americans. Interestingly, as I continued to watch clips of the hearing it became apparent that members of congress had preconceived notions of the use of TikTok and frankly it was cringing to watch congress make extreme accusations.

Continue reading “TikTok and the Congressional Hearing”