TikTok hires Internet Association chief Michael Beckerman to lead Washington policy shop
- TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has been facing mounting pressure in Washington over its ties to China
- It has hired Michael Beckerman, the current president of the Internet Association, to lead government relations
TikTok has tapped the head of a top lobbying group for internet companies to lead its Washington policy operations as it confronts mounting pressure in Washington over its ties to China.
Michael Beckerman, the current president of the Internet Association, will be in charge of government relations for the popular music-video app, according to a company spokeswoman. TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has been grappling with mounting questions from US policymakers over whether it poses a national security risk.
TikTok has been expanding its Washington policy staff as it seeks to persuade US regulators that it is really an American company, Bloomberg has reported.
US officials are currently reviewing whether ByteDance’s US$1 billion purchase of social media start-up Musical.ly two years ago and its plan to merge it with TikTok would endanger national security.
TikTok rejects the notion it’s controlled by the Chinese government or that US user data is at risk. The company has also battled Facebook for young users as chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has fanned suspicions about the company.