TikTok CEO Says US Data Protection Is ‘Solvable Problem’

Gregory Korte, Bloomberg News

Shouzi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc., during an interview for an episode of "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations" at the TikTok office in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok has emerged as the top challenger to the social media dominance of Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew said he is confident the social media app will reach a resolution with US authorities that will allow it to continue operating in the country.

The US government’s national security concerns -- around the Chinese government accessing US data -- are a “solvable problem,” he said on stage at the New York Times Dealbook conference in New York on Wednesday.

ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok has been working with the Committee for Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, to come up with a process that involves a partnership with Oracle Corp. to protect data. “We have very rigorous data access protocols,” Chew said.

Another concern from US authorities centers around the safety of children on TikTok. Chew said the app works to ensure users under 13 aren’t on the application -- though the interviewer, New York Times writer Andrew Ross Sorkin, noted that many kids lie about their age to get access. “We take minor safety extremely seriously,” Chew said.

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