TikTok CEO to tell Congress that Chinese owned app now has 150M active users in the United States: report

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is reportedly group to attest earlier Congress this week that nan Chinese-owned societal media level now has 150 cardinal progressive users successful nan United States. 

Chew is expected to attest nether oath earlier nan House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday that nan number of group successful nan U.S. regularly utilizing TikTok has accrued by 50% from nan 100 cardinal fig antecedently disclosed, NBC News reported, citing a elder Democratic strategist advising TikTok. 

The strategist reportedly said nan caller 150 cardinal fig Chew plans to unveil Thursday does not see children nether nan property of 13. Of nan 150 million, however, astir 12 cardinal – aliases 8% – are nether nan property of 18, though it is unclear really galore from that group will beryllium of voting property by 2024. Currently, that intends 138 cardinal TikTok users successful nan U.S. are voting age. The mean property of a regular TikTok personification is nether 31. 

In his first quality earlier Congress, Chew will look a grilling from lawmakers concerned astir nan grade to which American’s privateness is jeopardized and that their information is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s narration pinch China arsenic good arsenic nan effect of nan platform’s algorithm connected children.  

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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attest earlier Congress Thursday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Republican and Democrat lawmakers, and moreover nan president, person progressively condemned TikTok arsenic a threat to nationalist security and a propaganda instrumentality for nan Chinese Communist Party. FBI Director Chris Wray precocious testified earlier Senate and House intelligence committees connected nan Chinese app’s powerfulness to "drive narratives" and "divide Americans against each other." 

In an question and reply past week, Chew told The Wall Street Journal that nan Biden administration’s request that TikTok’s Chinese owners waste their stakes and divest successful nan institution aliases look a imaginable prohibition would not reside nan nationalist information rumor aliases enforce caller restrictions connected information flows aliases access. TikTok has vowed to walk $1.5 cardinal connected a programme that involves hiring an American partner, Oracle Corp., to shop U.S. personification information to safeguard specified accusation from nan clutches of nan Chinese government. 

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will look earlier a House proceeding titled, "TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy and Protect Children from Online Harms." (Bryan van der Beek/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In its ain defense up of Thursday’s hearing, TikTok has arranged for a group of its creators to descend connected Washington, D.C., to lobby lawmakers astatine nan Capitol, The Information first reported. The group, which includes mini business owners, entertainers and activists plans to clasp a property convention earlier Chew’s grounds to speak to TikTok’s affirmative power and really a prohibition would effect their livelihoods and expertise to amended nan adjacent generation. 

Representing nan nuanced quality of nan issue, nan White House’s backing of a bipartisan measure that would springiness nan national authorities authority to restrict aliases prohibition foreign-produced exertion including TikTok is juxtaposed pinch President Biden's caller quality successful a video shared by Irish vocalist Niall Horan connected TikTok from nan White House Friday successful grant of St. Patrick’s Day. 

TikTok is progressively being deemed a U.S. nationalist information threat. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes / AP Newsroom)

In nan past, nan White House has besides turned to TikTok creators successful attempts to scope younger audiences connected nan Biden administration’s initiatives connected issues including nan Inflation Reduction Act, Ukraine and nan midterm elections. 

A caller Quinnipiac Poll published March 15 showed astir half of Americans, aliases 49%, support a nationalist prohibition connected TikTok. However, for Americans from ages 18 to 34, that support dwindled to conscionable 33% supporting a ban, while 69% opposed pulling nan plug connected nan Chinese-owned app. 

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The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating TikTok’s genitor company, ByteDance, connected allegations it has been collecting information and conducting surveillance connected American journalists. 

Former President Trump’s effort to prohibition TikTok was blocked successful tribunal successful 2020.