Mr. TikTok goes to Washington

TikTok is on Capitol Hill today. Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of the popular social media app, testified in front of Congress about the company’s data security practices and its relationship with the Chinese government, as more lawmakers advocate for banning the app in the United States. 

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Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, testified in front of the House Energy Committee for five hours on Thursday. He was grilled by lawmakers on issues ranging from data privacy to national security. 

For years, lawmakers have threatened to ban the social media app in the United States, and legislation is inching forward that might make it a reality. But there are sharp generational and political divisions on the subject, with TikTok users more likely to oppose a ban. Recent polling shows that more Americans back a TikTok ban than oppose one. And TikTok says there are 150 million active monthly users in the United States. 

Business and tech policy reporter Cristiano Lima, who also writes the Technology 202 newsletter, joins us from the Hill to discuss the hearing and what this might mean for TikTok in the United States.