Americans’ tax dollars are hard at work this week, as Congress is grilling TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew over concerns of national security, data breaches and… how home WiFi works.
Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican representative from North Carolina, asked the CEO, “Does TikTok access the home Wifi network?”
Chew, who deserves an Oscar for maintaining his composure over some of these questions, explained that if the user connects the device to a home Wifi network, then yes, it uses home Wifi.
Hudson then attempted to rephrase the question, although it still got him nowhere: “So if I have the TikTok app on my phone, and my phone is on my home Wifi network, does TikTok access that network?”
Chew responded, “It will have to access the network to get access to the Internet.”
And finally, Hudson got to the real question he clearly wanted to ask all along. “Is It possible then that it could access other devices connected on that home WiFi network?”
(At this point, we can only assume his knowledge of how WiFi works is limited to spy films.)
Chew, still stunned, explains the company does not do anything “beyond any industry norms” but he would “look into it” for the Congressman.
“I really appreciate that,” Hudson concluded.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) asks TikTok CEO Shou Chew: "Does TikTok access the home WiFi network?" https://t.co/xf1tvTorEu pic.twitter.com/GFZn9lMcQi
— Bloomberg Technology (@technology) March 23, 2023
