As I see it | Best option for regulating TikTok is with industry and public consultation
- There are serious and valid concerns about TikTok given that firms with a presence in China are obliged to hand over data if directed to by authorities
- But Asian officials serious about dealing with spying and data privacy must adopt a more holistic approach to find solutions. The first step would be not to follow America’s lead
On the eve of TikTok boss Chew Shou Zi’s March 23 testimony before the US Congress, the BBC likened the encounter as akin to the Singaporean national “opening a lion’s mouth and placing his own head in it”.
Social media reaction across Asia, including Chew’s home country, showed that many in this part of the world came away with a completely different perspective.
The lawmakers’ “grilling’ in fact showed them – at least to TikTok’s army of youthful, digitally savvy users – as being detached from technology.
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US lawmakers grill TikTok CEO on app’s alleged ties to Chinese Communist Party
Several questions posed to the tech executive were bewildering. Readers must know what I am talking about.
If not, a simple Google search will show viral snippets from the hearing, including when the Republican congressman from North Carolina Richard Hudson quizzes Chew on whether TikTok used the home Wi-fi network of a user.
Initially stumped, the 40-year-old responded: “Only if the user turns on the Wi-fi, I am sorry, I may not understand the question.”
It was a pity that what seemed to be a committee of Luddites were tasked with quizzing Chew. It was a missed opportunity for US lawmakers to address the important issues surrounding the dominant role that Big Tech is playing in everyday life globally.