Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Republican senators questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Friday about accusations that the social media...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Republican senators questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Friday about accusations that the social media network permitted Russian state-approved media content but blocked other videos.
"According to recent sources, Russian state media has flooded TikTok... with hazardous pro-war propaganda. No corporation should be in the position of repeating the Kremlin's lies, which are fueling public support for Russia's unilateral war in Ukraine "John Cornyn, Roger Wicker, John Barrasso, James Lankford, and Cynthia Lummis signed the letter, which was sponsored by Steve Daines.
The senators wrote that TikTok "is enabling the transmission of pro-war propaganda to the Russian population, which risks adding to an already catastrophic human toll for both Ukrainians and Russians," and that they were "very worried."
Requests for comment to the Russian Embassy in Washington were not immediately returned. In a statement to Reuters, TikTok said it was eager to continue engaging with members on these problems and answering their queries.
According to Reuters, the Chinese-owned video app said in March that it will cease live-streaming and video uploads to its platform in Russia while it considered the ramifications of President Vladimir Putin's new media law.
TikTok, according to the senators, has failed "to ensure that this is uniformly enforced
"It appears TikTok belatedly addressed this loophole on March 25," according to a news article."
The letter went on to say that "misleading, pro-regime content that swamped the service has not been taken down, establishing an easily-accessible archive of pro-war propaganda," and it asked TikTok to respond to a series of inquiries.
TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based internet technology giant ByteDance, has been under increasing attention in the United States due to the personal data it collects. Last October, the corporation faced stern questions from US lawmakers during a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, the panel's top Republican, expressed concern about TikTok's data collecting, which includes audio and a user's location, and the Chinese government's possible access to the data. Blackburn pressed TikTok on whether it could refuse to provide over data to China's government if material was demanded.
With over 1 billion active users worldwide, TikTok is one of the most popular social networking apps.
