In one particularly heated exchange Thursday, Chew was forced to acknowledge that some personal data of Americans was still subject to Chinese law, but insisted that would soon be changed. 'The US government has so far not provided any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to its national security,' Mao added.

In a grueling five-hour hearing with US lawmakers Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced relentless questioning from combative US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle over the app's ties to China and its danger to teens.Īt the crux of much of the fears over TikTok is a 2017 Chinese law that requires local firms to hand over personal data to the state if it is relevant to national security.īeijing on Friday denied it would ask Chinese firms to hand over data gathered overseas and claimed it 'attaches great importance to protecting data privacy'.Ĭhina 'has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country', foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing. Pressure is building on the massively popular video-sharing app ― owned by the Chinese firm Bytedance ― to obtain new ownership or lose access to the enormous US market. AFP-YonhapĬhina insisted Friday it does not ask companies to hand over data gathered overseas, as the Chinese-owned TikTok faces mounting calls for a ban in the United States. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, in Washington, D.C.

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