TikTok Suspected of Retaining Code That Can Switch to CCP Censorship Mode

‘Everything is seen in China,’ said a TikTok employee in an internal recording

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faces photographers during a break in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

TikTok recently received international attention as its CEO was questioned on Capitol Hill. A U.S. Congress member pointed out that TikTok retains the censorship code for Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, that can be switched to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censorship mode and access U.S. data.

On March 23, the U.S. Congress held a hearing on TikTok and questioned the company’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew.