Previous to working the preferred social media app on this planet, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chunk used to be an intern for one in every of his biggest competition.
Chunk, 40, has led TikTok since 2021 — overseeing its ascent to change into the arena’s maximum downloaded app ultimate yr, with 672 million downloads, in step with a Statista research of iOS and Google Play knowledge.
The good fortune of the app, which is owned through Beijing-based tech massive ByteDance, has sounded alarms for U.S. officers who imagine it can be a doable safety breach. On Thursday, Chunk sat earlier than Congress to protect TikTok towards spying claims as Congress and President Biden weigh a possible U.S. ban.
“We’re dedicated to [being] very clear with our customers about what we gather,” Chunk advised the Area Power and Trade Committee. “I do not imagine what we gather is greater than maximum gamers within the {industry}.”
As of March 2023, TikTok collects user-provided account data together with person generated content material, messages, acquire data and communique personal tastes, in step with the corporate’s privateness coverage.
The platform additionally mechanically collects location knowledge, metadata and cookies for promoting functions, which is in step with the privateness insurance policies of businesses like Meta and Snapchat.
Chunk has some enjoy on this area. Born in Singapore, he graduated from the College School London in 2006 with a bachelor’s level in economics. He then were given an MBA from Harvard College — and whilst there, he interned at Fb, he advised Harvard Industry College’s alumni web site in 2020.
On the time, in the summertime of 2009, Fb used to be on the upward push. It overtook Google as the rustic’s hottest web site the next yr, garnering 8.9% of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010, Reuters reported.
Nowadays, Fb has 2.9 billion energetic customers, in step with Meta’s 2022 This fall profits presentation. TikTok might not be some distance in the back of: It introduced attaining one billion per month customers in 2021, simply 5 years after it used to be based, and has most likely grown since.
The video platform’s meteoric expansion has reputedly thrown a wrench into Fb’s plans. Zuckerberg admitted that he “kind of ignored” the brand new manner other people “engage with found out content material,” he advised Stratechery ultimate yr.
Fb even reportedly modified its algorithms to compete extra without delay with TikTok ultimate yr, emphasizing extra short-form video content material and changing how it recommends new posts to customers, in step with a leaked interior memo bought through The Verge.
On Thursday, Chunk perceived to reference Fb and different social media competition whilst telling Congress that TikTok has “attempted to be informed the teachings of businesses that experience come earlier than us,” and that lawmakers’ safety issues must be industry-wide.
“The possible safety, privateness, content material manipulation issues raised about TikTok are in reality no longer distinctive to us. The similar problems practice to different firms,” he stated. “We imagine what is wanted are transparent clear laws that practice widely to all tech firms. Possession isn’t on the core of addressing those issues.”
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