Why does US see Chinese-owned TikTok as a security threat?

By JOE McDONALD and ZEN SOO
AP Business Writers

BEIJING (AP) — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has endured a nearly six-hour grilling by U.S. lawmakers, some of whom are pushing to ban the popular short-video app nationwide. The lawmakers questioned 40-year-old Singaporean native Chew over data security and harmful content. Despite his assurances that TikTok prioritizes user safety and should not be banned due to its ties to China, some lawmakers responded skeptically. TikTok is a subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance. It has been closely scrutinized over whether the data it has on 150 million American users is accessible to China’s government and if the platform could be used to promote narratives favorable to the country’s communist leaders.