Featured in this episode of Chaos Lever
In this week’s episode of “inane grandstanding by the technologically illiterate”, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to five hours of questioning from Congress. He repeatedly defended the efforts that TikTok is making to respond to data security concerns, especially highlighting that TikTok’s Project Texas would satisfy all of the demands the Government had about isolating data from the Chinese Government.
He also engaged in what I think was totally justifiable whataboutism when reminding Congress that Facebook and Google have been just as guilty. There were also some absolutely magnificent questions lobbed out from members of congress, such as when Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) asked “Does TikTok access the home WiFi network?”
Just magical. This man just said that on television, where his family could hear him.
Overall, nothing was accomplished, no minds were changed. But the hearing wasted a lot of time and money, so congratulations all around I guess. Wake me up when there’s an actual data privacy bill that won’t just die in committee.