There is momentum in the US to ban the popular video app. But TikTok says it is taking actions to address security concerns.TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, told US lawmakers on Thursday the app's China-based parent company, ByteDance, would not be manipulated by any government.

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He was testifying before Congress, trying to sway lawmakers not to ban the short video app or force its sale to new owners.

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Western officials have become increasingly concerned the Chinese government has links to the app that it could use for espionage or to push propaganda to its hundreds of millions of global users.

The US, the European Commission, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have already ordered officials to delete TikTok from their phones.

While the hearing was happening in the US, the UK's parliament banned lawmakers via its internet network and on all parliamentary devices.

The US is reportedly considering an outright ban unless ByteDance, which has offices in Beijing, sells its stakes in the video-sharing app.

TikTok attempts to dispel national security concerns

"ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government and is a private company," Chew told the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing.

He said TikTok has been building a firewall for the last two years and said all data of its 150 million American users would be stored in the US at the end of the year.

He also said TikTok had third-party validators and researchers to review its source code and algorithms.

"We believe what's needed are clear transparent rules that apply broadly to all tech companies — ownership is not at the core of addressing these concerns," Chew added.

He faces an uphill battle with Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, who told him at the start of the meeting, "Your platform should be banned."

"We do not trust TikTok," she added.

The top Democrat on the panel, Frank Pallone, echoed those sentiments.

"You're gonna continue to gather data, you're gonna continue to sell data ... and continue to be under the aegis of the Communist Party," Pallone said.

Politicians already moving to crackdown on TikTok

Lawmakers from both parties in Congress have been working on legislation that would give President Joe Biden's administration more power to clamp down on TikTok.

"We understand the popularity of Tiktok, we get that," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday.

"But the president's job is to make sure again that the Americans, national security is protected as well. "

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US has reportedly told the popular video-sharing app to part ways with ByteDance to avoid a US ban.

China's Ministry of Commerce said that "forcing the sale of TikTok will seriously damage the confidence of investors from all over the world, including China, to invest in the United States. If the news is true, China will firmly oppose it."

lo/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2023 09:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).