Social Media Reacts to TikTok CEO’s Struggle to Avoid U.S. Ban

TikTok did not fare well at the hearing.

As TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee March 23, it became clear that a U.S. ban on the social media app was still very much in play.

Chew mentioned Project Texas, a strategy TikTok says it is implementing to store its data on U.S. users in the country through a partnership it has with Oracle  (ORCL) - Get Free Report.

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The comment did not impress Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas.

"Please rename your project. Texas is not the appropriate name. We stand for freedom and transparency and we don't want your project," Pfluger said, according to ABC News. 

The hearing moved to the topic of misinformation on the platform. Specifically mentioned was a 2021 post that showed a false way to make the drug hydroxychloroquine out of grapefruit and lemon peel.

"What is TikTok doing to try to strengthen its review to keep this information from coming across to people?" asked Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.

Chew said misinformation violates TikTok's rules but said TikTok is unable to get rid of all of it.

"I don’t think we can sit here and say we’re perfect," Chew said.

"That’s not enough for me," DeGette later said. "That’s not enough for the parents of America."

Social media had plenty to say about the hearing as well.

"TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says legacy U.S. data in Virginia and Singapore servers are being deleted: 'When that is done, all protected U.S. data will be under the protection of U.S. law,'" tweeted ABC News.

"They have all the data they could have ever dreamed of," wrote @cainisforgiven. "Millions and millions of US citizens' facial maps and profiles, etc. It’s already too late."

"Just now doing this? Wow," tweeted @IWPguitar.

"Damage is already done," wrote @Blue2000The.

One Twitter user derided Congress for how it was handling the hearing.

"People should watch this stupid congress," tweeted @23shawthing. "They are just trashing him not letting him answer. AI is dangerous bla bla. It's a Chinese company, so America can't profit, so they're crying."

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