Technologies

TikTok CEO Testifies Before Congress: Here Are Some of the Key Moments

Lawmakers grilled CEO Shou Chew about ties to China and what the app is doing to protect young people.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew on Thursday faced skeptical lawmakers in the US Congress to try to fend off calls to ban the hugely popular video app.

«There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform, and we know we have a responsibility to protect them,» Chew said in remarks prepared for his appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration demanded that ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company, sell its stake in the app or face a possible ban. Officials are concerned TikTok could be forced to share US user data with the Chinese government, posing a national security threat. In December, US lawmakers banned the app from government devices. Other countries, including Canada, EU member states and Taiwan, have taken similar steps.

Lawmakers on Thursday repeatedly questioned Chew about ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government, expressing doubt TikTok would be able to protect US users’ data. They also alleged that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to influence public opinion in the US.

Though the main thrust of the hearing focused on alleged ties to China, lawmakers also touched on other concerns, including data collection and protecting teens and young people from harmful content on TikTok.

Following the hearing, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the hearing was «dominated by political grandstanding» and failed to address industry-wide issues.

«Also not mentioned today by members of the Committee: the livelihoods of the 5 million businesses on TikTok or the First Amendment implications of banning a platform loved by 150 million Americans,» said Oberwetter.

Here are some of the most interesting comments from the hearing:

Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, in her opening statement: «Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security. TikTok collects nearly every data point imaginable, from people’s location to what they type and copy, biometric data and more. … TikTok surveils us all. And the Chinese Communist Party is able to use this as a tool to manipulate America as a whole. We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values.»

She continued: «TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. Your platform should be banned. I expect today you’ll say anything to avoid this outcome.»

Chew, in his opening statement: «We have heard important concerns about the potential for unwanted foreign access to US data and potential manipulation of the TikTok US ecosystem. We have addressed them with real action. … That’s what we’ve been doing for the last two years, building what amounts to a firewall that seals off protected US user data from unauthorized foreign access. The bottom line is this: American data, stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel. We call this initiative Project Texas.»

Chew, on legacy US data: «We have legacy US data sitting in our servers in Virginia and in Singapore. We’re deleting those and we expect that to be complete this year. When that is done, all protected US data will be under the protection of US law and under the control of the US led security team. This eliminates the concern that some of you have shared with me that TikTok user data can be subject to Chinese law.»

Rep. Buddy Carter, on harmful viral videos like the Milk Crate challenge: «Why is it that TikTok consistently fails to identify and moderate these kinds of harmful videos? Why is it that you allow this to go on? We’ve already heard … from parents who are here with us who have lost children.»

Chew responds: «This is a real industry challenge and we’re working on our…»

Carter: «No, no, it’s not industry. This is TikTok. We’re talking about TikTok. We’re talking about why is it that you can’t control this. … Tell me why this goes on.»

Rep. Darren Soto, on ByteDance ownership: «Mr. Chew, would TikTok be prepared to divest from ByteDance and Chinese Communist Party ties if the Department of Treasury instructed you all to do so?»

Chew responds: «I don’t think ownership is the issue here. With a lot of respect, American social companies don’t have a good track record with data privacy and user security. I mean look at Facebook and Cambridge analytica, just for one example.»

Rep. Neal Dunn asks Chew directly: «Has ByteDance spied on Americans at the direction of the Chinese Communist Party?»

Chew responds: «No.»

Dunn follows up, citing a Forbes article that ByteDance planned to use TikTok to monitor the location of US citizens: «I ask you again Mr. Chew, has ByteDance spied on American citizens?»

Chew responds: «I don’t think that spying is the right way to describe it. This is ultimately…(Dunn cuts off his response.)»

Rep. August Pfluger, on Project Texas: «Please rename your project. Texas is not the appropriate name. We stand for freedom and transparency and we don’t want your project.»

Technologies

Imminent Limits on AI Chip Exports Rescinded by Trump Administration

The so-called AI Diffusion Rule was set to go into effect this week. It’s now history.

A limitation on exports of AI processors made in the US that was set to go into effect on May 15 has now been rescinded after an order from the Department of Commerce (PDF).

The AI Diffusion Rule was set in motion at the end of the Biden administration and would have limited the number of AI processors that could be sold to foreign countries. It was meant to give the US an edge in the race for global AI technology, but critics, including tech companies, said it would hurt the companies making the processors by capping their sales.

The Trump administration’s move now lifts restrictions on companies such as Nvidia from selling processors meant for AI applications to other countries, including Mexico, China and Russia.

«These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements,» the Department of Commerce said in a statement. «The AI Diffusion Rule also would have undermined US diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status.»

The Department of Commerce said it is still warning companies and the public about allowing US-made AI chips to be used for Chinese AI models and is discouraging the use of Huawei Ascend chips specifically for exported products.

‘Cautious relief’ among chipmakers

Some in the industry worried that the rule could have hurt startups or mid-tier players, but now, the mood is «cautious relief,» said one tech-industry executive.

«While most companies support the need for guardrails around advanced AI capabilities, the AI Diffusion Rule as originally framed created a lot of ambiguity — especially around how ‘diffusion’ would be interpreted in deployment, licensing or technical architecture,» said Dmitry Zakharchenko, chief software officer for Blaize, a California-based AI chip company.

Zakharchenko says the concern among companies like his wasn’t just sales but also cross-country research collaboration, AI model deployment and cloud-infrastructure partners.

«The risk was that overbroad policy could inadvertently restrict benign use cases, including public safety, industrial inspection, and transportation,» he said.

As for what comes next, Zakharchenko said that some of the companies that would have been affected are taking their own steps to mitigate risks from overseas. That, he said, is happening «both at the hardware level and through partner ecosystems.»

«That includes secure boot, encrypted pipelines, regional deployment controls and tighter collaboration with integrators who understand where and how inference workloads are run,» Zakharchenko said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, May 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is one of those where the same letter gets circled over and over. So if you see a pattern where a certain letter keeps showing up, fill them in, it might help you solve the puzzle. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Direction opposite of WSW
Answer: ENE

4A clue: Shoot out, as lava from a volcano
Answer: SPEW

5A clue: «In what place?»
Answer: WHERE

6A clue: Plants you didn’t plant, perhaps
Answer: WEEDS

7A clue: Like Mini crosswords … and a phonetic description of this puzzle?
Answer: EASY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Fencing swords
Answer: EPEES

2D clue: Prone to geeking out
Answer: NERDY

3D clue: Farm animals that sound like vowels not seen in this puzzle?
Answer: EWES

4D clue: Stadium at which the Beatles performed an iconic 1965 concert
Answer: SHEA

5D clue: Org. for Hulk Hogan and John Cena
Answer: WWE

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 15, #234

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 234, for May 15.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition has a tough blue category, but you might get it easily if you’re a fan of a certain international sport. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Get to that ball.

Green group hint: Think Jack Nicklaus.

Blue group hint: Ted Lasso.

Purple group hint: J.R. Ewing.