TikTok CEO discusses new regulations with EU leaders as app faces US bans
European leaders question TikTok on privacy and other matters.
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew met with members of the European Union’s executive commission on Tuesday to discuss how the Chinese-owned social media platform plans to adhere to strict new digital regulations in Europe, according to reports.
The meeting came as TikTok faces growing scrutiny in the U.S. as several states including Texas, Maryland, South Carolina and New Jersey place bans on the use of the video-sharing platform on state-owned devices and networks.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 07: In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the p ((Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Adding to the scrutiny, TikTok will also be banned on U.S. government devices under a congressional spending bill.
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Fears surrounding the software stem from a report in 2022 that a TikTok team in China accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that is also required to provide the Chinese government with data when requested, and that TikTok is sending user data already in breach of European privacy rules.
EU flags (Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the Associated Press, Chew met with EU officials on Tuesday, amid two open investigations into TikTok sparked by watchdogs in Ireland. One of the investigations is to look into TikTok’s transferring of personal data to China.
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Věra Jourová, the commissioner for values and transparency, tweeted after the meeting on Tuesday, saying she counts on TikTok to execute its commitments to go the extra mile in respecting EU law while regaining the trust of European regulators.
"There cannot be any doubt that data of users in Europe are safe and not exposed to illegal access from third-country authorities," she said.
TikTok’s director of public policy and government relations, Caroline Greer, also tweeted after the meeting, calling the gathering "constructive and helpful."
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"Online safety & building trust is our number one priority," she said.
A readout of the meeting revealed Jourová asked about several concerns regarding data protection of Europeans, child safety and the spread of Russian disinformation on TikTok.
She also asked about the transparency of paid political content.
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The Associated Press reported that Chew also met with Margrethe Vestager, who oversees competition and antitrust matters, to "review how the company is preparing for complying with its obligations under the European Commission’s regulation, namely the Digital Services Act and possibly under the Digital Markets Act."
The Digital Markets Act regulates the power of digital companies while the Digital Services Act focuses on cleaning toxic material from online platforms.
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