TikTok US chief security officer to testify before US House on September 15

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The chief security officer for TikTok U.S. will testify before a U.S. House committee ​on September 15, a congressional aide said on Tuesday, allowing lawmakers to ask about ‌Chinese involvement in the short-video app.Chief Security Officer Will Farrell, who oversees data privacy and cybersecurity, will appear before the U.S. House Select Committee on China.This will be the first public testimony ​by a TikTok U.S. executive in the U.S. House since the company’s Chinese owner, ​ByteDance, finalised a deal in January to split the U.S. social media app from ⁠its global business.ByteDance, which retains 19.9% of the U.S. operation, has disclosed few ​details about the deal, and a hearing will allow lawmakers to ask ​about U.S. President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the split.A spokesperson for TikTok U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.A 2024 law required ByteDance to sell the app or face ​its closure in the U.S. Lawmakers expressed concerns that the company’s management ​was beholden to the Chinese government, posing a national security risk.Under the deal, control of ‌TikTok’s ⁠U.S. operations transferred to an American-owned joint venture, known as TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, this year to avoid a U.S. ban. The entity’s three managing investors are cloud-computing company Oracle, private-equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment ​firm MGX.House China Committee ​Chairman John ⁠Moolenaar said, last year that he would host the leadership of the joint venture for a public hearing in 2026. A ​spokesperson for Moolenaar declined to comment on Farrell’s plan ​to testify. Adam ⁠Presser, who is the CEO of TikTok U.S., is not expected to appear in Congress on September 15.Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, publicly invited TikTok ⁠CEO ​Shou Zi Chew in May to testify about ​children’s online safety, along with other social media executives. A hearing date hasn’t been announced ​by the committee.