The CEO of Communist Chinese government-tied TikTok is set to meet with anti-free speech European officials as the app censors thousands of videos.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is meeting with members of the European Union’s (EU) European Commission on Nov. 6 and 7, according to Bloomberg News. The members reportedly attending the meeting include Vice President Vera Jourova, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders and Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. This comes amid TikTok’s boasted censorship of content related to the Hamas-Israel conflict. The meeting will be the first such since both the European Commission and several EU member states banned TikTok from government devices, due to security concerns.
“Discussion topics are expected to include Project Clover, the company’s attempt to have Europeans’ personal data overseen by a third party, as well as the EU’s content moderation rules and disinformation ahead of the European Parliament elections in 2024, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reported. The EU officials might also bring up competition rules in relation to TikTok’s parent ByteDance.
Breton, one of the EU officials with whom Chew is meeting, sent TikTok a letter last month urging increased censorship during the Hamas-Israel conflict. Breton even threatened TikTok and other Big Tech companies by stating that “penalties can be imposed” for non-compliance. TikTok bragged in a press statement last month that it had removed “over 500,000 videos and closed 8,000 livestreams in the impacted region for violating our guidelines.”
The staggering TikTok censorship followed Hamas’s horrific terror attack on Israel that has killed over 1,400 Israelis so far. The app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, proudly detailed various measures it implemented to crush speech—or alleged “harmful misinformation.” These included a partnership with fact-checkers through Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which owns a board seat and maintains a financial stake in ByteDance, has sided with the Palestinians in the current conflict.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact TikTok via email at communitymanager@tiktok.com and demand Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment and provide transparency. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
