GOP Congresswoman Takes TikTok CEO to Task Over Threatening Video

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) called out TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Thursday for not enforcing its own community guidelines of banning the account of anyone threatening or inciting violence.

Cammack showed a TikTok video showing a gun firing with the words “Me asf at the House Energy and Commerce Committee on 3/23/23.”

As the congresswoman pointed out, the video had been posted 41 days ago before the hearing took place. She said if Chew was not able to effectively enforce its own ban on threats of violence, how could it be trusted to maintain the data and privacy of Americans who use the app.

That video was posted 41 days ago. As you can see, it has captioned, ‘Me ASF at the House Energy and Commerce Committee’ on March 23rd of this year. This video was posted before this hearing was publicly noticed. I think that’s a very interesting point to raise, but more concerning is the fact that it names this chairwoman by name. 

Your own community guidelines state that you have a firm stance against enabling violence on or off TikTok. We do not allow people to use our platform to threaten or incite violence, were to promote violent extremist organizations, individuals or acts. 

When there is a threat to public safety or an account is used to promote or glorify off-platform violence, we ban the account. This video has been up for 41 days. 

It is a direct threat to the chairwoman of this committee, the people in this room, and yet it still remains on the platform, and you expect us to believe that you are capable of maintaining the data security privacy and security of 150 million Americans? 

You can’t even protect the people in this room. I think that’s a blatant display of how vulnerable people who use TikTok are. You cannot take action after 41 days when a clear threat, a very violent threat, to the chairwoman of this committee and the members of this committee was posted on your platform. 

You darn well know that you cannot protect the data and security of this committee, or the 150 million users of your app, because it’s an extension of the CCP. With that I yield back. 

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