How Chinese is TikTok? US lawmakers see it as China’s tool, even as it distances itself from Beijing

By DIDI TANG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since its inception, TikTok has been intended only for non-Chinese markets, unavailable in mainland China. It pulled out of Hong Kong in 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law on the territory to curtail speech. And as data security concerns rose in the U.S., TikTok sought to reassure American lawmakers that U.S. data stays in the country and is inaccessible to ByteDance employees in Beijing. TikTok is following the same playbook as many other companies founded in China: To win customers and trust in Western countries, they play down their Chinese roots. But this may not be enough as a House bill requiring a cutoff from Chinese ownership sailed through the floor and is headed to the Senate.