Despite being criticized by the US government that might disallow the operations of the app in the country, TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew remains confident that the company will come up with a solution as soon as possible. He thinks that this problem is 'solvable.'
In this photo illustration, the social media application logo, TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on an American flag background on August 3, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. - The US Senate voted on August 6, 2020, to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular Chinese-owned video app. The bill passed by the Republican controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
(Photo : OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) In this photo illustration, the social media application logo, TikTok is displayed on the screen of an iPhone on an American flag background on August 3, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. - The US Senate voted on August 6, 2020, to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular Chinese-owned video app.
Reaching a Resolution
Chief Executive Director of TikTok Shou Zi Chew said on stage during the New York Times Dealbook conference, that he remains positive that the TikTok app will continue its operations in the country.
Based on a report from Bloomberg, Chew and his team will reach a resolution with US authorities to avoid blocking their operations.
He added that the concerns of the government regarding national security concerns that revolve around the Chinese government accessing the data of American users is a problem that can be solved by the company.
For the safety of the children in the app, TikTok will ensure that users under 13 years of age will be prohibited from the app.
"We have a responsibility to invest more to make sure that any trends and content not suitable for young people is moderated off the platform, " he added. Chew said that this has been a problem ever since, as minors tend to lie about their age to access the app.
Project Texas
Since the government raised its concerns, TikTok and the Committee for Foreign Investment in the US have been working together to obtain a partnership with Oracle Corp. to protect the data that they are handling. Chew stated that the company has a "very rigorous" data access protocols.
Project Texas will move its data from Virginia and Singapore to a new cloud infrastructure somewhere in the United States.
Through this setup, a team from the US will only have access. Although this is possible to be executed by the company, Chew said that it's very challenging, especially since the system is expensive to build.
As per him, the real solution to the application's problem is transparency, which is why he highlighted the transparency reports during the conference. He stated that no foreign government has asked the company for this kind of data before, and if it did happen, they will be declining to do so.
Chew added that TikTok will remain to be an application that will not accept political advertisements, as it is not inclined to the company's mission. As per The Verge's report, TikTok's main priority is creativity and creating joy, which he believes that political ads don't do.
