TikTok wants to become a trusted champion of free speech, CEO Shou Zi Chew said on November 15, as the social media platform faces tightening scrutiny in the US, Canada, and Europe for alleged links to the Chinese government.
“We are doing everything in our power to try to become one of the most trusted companies in the world,” Chew said, adding TikTok is willing to “engage with all stakeholders to share information and allay their concerns.”
Chew made the remarks during his keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit, a sideline event for business executives at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Peruvian capital.
“One of my personal goals as CEO is to ensure TikTok earns trust and has a strong reputation for a positive impact in the world,” he said.
He pointed to a new data center in Norway, which “will not only help us secure the private information of our European users, it will also run 100% on renewable energy,” adding TikTok has invested USD 1.5 billion on data security in the US and will spend EUR 12 billion (USD 12.6 billion) over the next decade to protect European user data.
With TikTok under the threat of losing access to one of its biggest markets, the US, where it has more than 170 million users, Chew has been on a global tour to win over emerging markets.
The Latin American market has become increasingly important for TikTok, especially after the US passed a law to ban the video sharing app if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell the company by January 19. US lawmakers from both parties say TikTok poses a national security threat because citizens information could be shared with the Chinese government.
Canada recently ordered TikTok to shut down its offices in the country. The European Union has also launched an official probe into the app this year over protections for minors.
The app now has around 163 million users in LATAM and the number is expected to grow to 173 million next year, according to an estimate by Statista.
The Middle East is another key market for the app. The UAE and Saudi Arabia had the highest TikTok penetration rate as of July, with the number of accounts roughly equal to the number of adults in the two countries, according to data from Statista.
“I think earning trust locally … earning trust generally as an industry is going to be a big challenge for us, all of us,” Chew said in a fireside chat at the Future Investment Initiative Institute conference in Riyadh in late October. “Ultimately, it’s going to be based on the things that you have done. Did you fundamentally go address people’s concerns?”
Meanwhile, Trump’s return to the White House might give TikTok hope for its future in the US.
The sell-or-ban bill, signed by President Joe Biden in April, gives ByteDance until January 19 to divest from TikTok, a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Despite being behind the initial attempt to ban the app in 2020, Trump said during his reelection campaign that he now opposes such a move.
The Justice Department under Trump will be tasked with enforcing the ban, and it could choose to not fine internet providers and app stores for noncompliance, essentially allowing TikTok to continue operating in the country. Such a ban would be difficult to enforce, as it would require a tremendous amount of resources for the to track down and punish violators.
TikTok has also filed a lawsuit challenging the bill. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has been reviewing the case but has not issued an injunction to stop the 270-day countdown. A decision is expected in December.
TikTok has argued that the ban violates US constitutional protections on freedom of speech.
The app is “an unparalleled platform for creativity, free speech,” the CEO said on November 15. “More than a billion people … trust us to support and protect the freedom of expression.”